Buckwitz Wins 1st Gold as a Pilot

From Igls, AUT

Jan. 15, 2021 – Olympic gold medalist Lisa Buckwitz made the move from brakewoman to pilot after the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and after a season and a half in the pilots seat she won her first IBSF European Cup gold medal.

Buckwitz, with Cynthia Kwofie on the brakes, had the fast start in both heats to go with the two fastest times of the race on her way to over a half-second lead over teammate Anne Lobenstein.

Buckwitz finished with a silver medal in the previous race in Altenberg.

Lobenstein’s silver medal was a career best as a pilot.

Russia’s Anastasiia Dudkina finished third, well behind the Germans.

Canada’s Melissa Lotholz, winner of the previous day’s Women’s Monobob World Series event, finished fourth. Teammate Cynthia Appiah finished just .04 behind in fifth, while Russia’s Alena Osipenko rounded out the top six.

Canada’s Bianca Ribi finished seventh after having the seventh fastest run in both heats

Results:

Pos Names Nation Bib Start 1 Start 2 Run 1 Run 2 Total
1 Buckwitz / Kwofie GER 4 5.59 5.64 53.88 54.00 1:47.88
2 Lobenstein / Schüßler GER 2 5.74 5.75 54.31 54.12 1:48.43
3 Dudkina / Kurysheva RUS 6 5.90 5.86 54.53 54.44 1:48.96
4 Lotholz / Bellocq CAN 9 5.81 5.77 54.75 54.52 1:49.27
5 Appiah / Haughey CAN 3 5.90 5.99 54.86 54.83 1:49.69
6 Osipenko / Shabalina RUS 8 5.90 5.94 54.84 54.89 1:49.73
7 Ribi / Drost CAN 5 5.83 5.88 55.01 54.95 1:49.96
8 Bee / Barrett GBR 1 5.97 5.95 55.16 55.17 1:50.33
9 Decristophoris / Battaini SUI 13 6.11 6.16 55.13 55.22 1:50.36
10 Popescu / Sarbu ROU 14 6.16 6.12 55.36 55.22 1:50.58
11 Cernanska / Horvathova SVK 11 6.21 6.19 55.47 55.24 1:50.71
12 Züblin / Hottinger SUI 7 6.05 6.04 55.71 55.32 1:51.03
13 Loibner / Loicht AUT 12 5.99 5.98 55.76 55.33 1:51.09
14 Hunko / Lishchynska UKR 10 6.14 6.12 55.83 55.44 1:51.27