German sleds swept the medals in the two-woman World Cup bobsled finale of the season Sunday, and Elana Meyers Taylor of the United States clinched the season-long points title.
Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz finished two runs in two minutes 15.50 seconds to get the victory in St. Moritz, Switzerland, followed by Mariama Jamanka and Kira Lupperheide in 2:15.54. Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi were third in 2:15.57.
The U.S. grabbed fourth and fifth. Former Canadian team member Kaillie Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman finished in 2:15.59, and Meyers Taylor shared her sled with Kaysha Love and crossed the line in 2:16.14.
Canadian sleds placed sixth and seventh, led by Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski in 2:16.22. Cynthia Appiah and Dawn Richardson Wilson were right behind in 2:16.81. On Saturday, Appiah from Toronto earned monobob bronze.
WATCH | Appiah caps season with monobob bronze:
Toronto’s Cynthia Appiah finished 3rd in the women’s monobob competition during the IBSF World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Her performance in the World Cup season finale saw her finish 3rd in overall standings. 2:59
Meyers Taylor won the overall two-woman points title for the second time, not including the monobob championship she clinched on Saturday. She finished the two-person season with 1,505 points, 19 ahead of Nolte.
Her title was a reward for competing in all eight World Cup races of the season. Most top drivers skipped the World Cup race in Sigulda, Latvia on New Year’s weekend; Meyers Taylor competed and won, giving her 225 points.
Nolte, Kalicki, Humphries and Jamanka all skipped that weekend, basically surrendering their hopes at the points title.
Friedrich 4-man win streak halted at 11
In the four-man event, Francesco Friedrich’s streak of 11 consecutive World Cup victories ended, in part because he chose to give a longtime teammate a farewell ride.
Latvia’s Oskars Kibermanis got his second career four-man victory, this win at St. Moritz joining the one he got there in 2017. Kibermanis and his team of Matiss Miknis, Edgars Nemme and Davis Springis finished in 2:09.38.
Friedrich — who had already clinched the four-man overall season title — and his team of Alexander Schueller, Martin Grothkopp and Alexander Roediger were second in 2:09.54. It was likely the final race for Roediger, who hadn’t been in a World Cup four-man race since 2019 because of injuries and plans to retire.
Russia was third, the sled of Rostislav Gaitiukevich, Mikhail Mordasov, Pavel Travkin and Aleksei Laptev finishing in 2:09.66.
Canada’s Justin Kripps, Cam Stones, Jay Dearborn and Ryan Sommer was fifth in 2:09.76. Kripps, the reigning two-man Olympic champion from Summerland, B.C., placed second in Saturday’s season finale and the overall standings with Stones, who hails from Whitby, Ont.
WATCH | Kripps, Stones deliver strong 2-man performance in World Cup finale:
Canadian duo Justin Kripps and Cam Stones placed second in the 2-man bobsleigh competition during the IBSF World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Their 1:05.80 time in their 2nd run set a track record for St. Moritz. 2:45
The duo, which earned three bronze over the eight-race season, also wrapped their arms around their third two-man Crystal Globe, handed to the top three sleds in the overall World Cup standings.
The World Cup bobsled and skeleton season is complete, and now next month’s Beijing Olympics await. Canada plans to announce its bobsled team for Beijing on Jan. 20.
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