Justin Kripps and Jesse Lumsden Slide Short of Podium in Fourth at BMW World Cup in Whistler
WHISTLER, B.C.—Canada’s Justin Kripps and Jesse Lumsden had a medal slip out of their hands in the two-man bobsleigh race at the BMW IBSF World Cup opener in Whistler, B.C. on Friday night.
Sitting in third place after the opening blast down the 1,450-metre track, the Canadian duo dropped into a tie for fourth place after their second run with a combined time of 1:44.73.
“We executed the way we wanted to on the track today, but we were hoping for a better result. I felt we did what we needed to do to get the job done , but unfortunately it translated into fourth place,” said Kripps. “That’s racing and the way it goes sometimes. We are going to head back into the garage and try and find some speed on the sleds.”
It was the first World Cup race for the 29-year-old Kripps, of Summerland, B.C., with Lumsden providing the manpower. Lumsden, of Burlington, Ont., returned to the program this fall after a two-year hiatus to begin his transition into the business world.
“I am happy to back, but I am personally very disappointed with my performance,” said the 34-year-old Lumsden. “I need to be better behind the sled for Justin. I am a couple of years older so maybe I just needed to shake the rust off a bit. I know what I need to do and we will keep getting better. I’ll be ready tomorrow.”
Germany’s Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis won the first World Cup two-man bobsleigh race of the season with a time of 1:44.21. Switzerland’s Rico Peter and Thomas Amrhein slid to the silver medal at 1:44.67, while Korea’s Yunjong Won and Youngwoo Seo clocked a bronze-medal time of 1:44.69.
The defending champions of the two-man race in Whistler from one year ago, Chris Spring and Lascelles Brown of Calgary, punched the clock at 1:45.07 for 10th place. World Cup rookie Nick Poloniato, of Hamilton, teamed up with Calgary’s Derek Plug to finish in 14th place at 1:45.39.
A full day of racing is scheduled for the World Cup on Saturday at the Whistler Sliding Centre. The men’s skeleton race is set for 10 a.m. PST, followed by women’s bobsleigh at 2 p.m. PST. The four-man bobsleigh race will cap off the event at 6 p.m. PST.
Tickets are available for $10 at www.whistlerslidingcentre.com, or at Guest Services. Children under 12 are free.
Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton in Canada. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Karbon, Driving Force and Conceptum Sport Logistics – along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton develops Olympic and world champions. Please visit us at www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca.
Complete Results: http://www.ibsf.org/en/component/events/event/167974
Top-Five Men’s Two-Man and Canadian Results:
1. Francesco Friedrich/Thorsten Margis, GER, 1:44.21; 2. Rico Peter/Thomas Amrhein, SUI, 1:44.67; 3. Yunjong Won/Youngwoo Seo, KOR, 1:44.69; T4. Justin Kripps, Summerland, B.C./Jesse Lumsden, Burlington, Ont., CAN, 1:44.73; T4. Johannes Lochner/Joshua Bluhm, GER, 1:44.73.
Other Canadian Results:
10. Chris Spring, Calgary/Lascelles Brown, Calgary, 1:45.07; 14. Nick Poloniato, Hamilton/Derek Plug, Calgary, 1:45.39