Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
Meyers and Eberling lead U.S. again
LA PLAGNE, France (Dec. 9, 2011)-It was a record-breaking day in La Plagne for the women’s bobsled World Cup race. Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) and Katie Eberling (Palos Hills, Ill.) broke the start record in the first run before shattering it once again in the second heat en route to setting the pace with a track record. While the track record continued to fall during the second heat and the U.S. pair settled into eighth, Meyers and Eberling were satisfied with finishing on the record board.
“It wasn’t a medal today, but it was my two best runs of the week,” Meyers said. “Katie and I are starting to gel as a team, and I’m so happy with today’s result and our start record.”
Meyers and Eberling posted starts of 6.49 and 6.40 seconds. The closest competitors off the block were Germans Anja Schneiderheinze and Christin Senkel, who could only come within one-tenth of the American team with a start of 6.50 seconds in the final heat.
“I ran too short on the first start,” Meyers said. “I felt much better on the second run, and this is just another learning experience. I think we still have a lot of room to grow, so I’m hopeful that this isn’t the last time we break a start record.”
With only one full season of driving experience, Meyers is still on a steep learning curve as a rookie pilot. Meyers navigated her KOA sled to the finish in 1:02.18 for ninth position in the first heat, and temporarily held the track record after posting a second run of 1:01.60 before the record fell six more times. Meyers and Eberling were able to inch up one spot to finish eighth with a combined time of 2:03.78.
“I need to relax a little more in the sled,” Meyers said. “I’m happy with today’s result, but I still have so much to learn. Any little mistake will cost you a lot in this kind of field. I still need to learn the nuances of tiny little steers through some of these corners, but I feel like I’m starting to get up to speed.”
Reigning Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries from Canada teamed with rookie Emily Baadsvik to claim her first victory of the season. Humphries missed the podium in last week’s season opener, but rebounded today after posting a combined time of 2:02.81 to lead the field by 0.12 seconds.
Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer from Germany clocked a total time of 2:02.93 to claim silver, while Fabienne Meyer and Hanne Schenk from Switzerland finished third to earn their first-ever World Cup medal with a two-run total of 2:02.98.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure sledmates Bree Schaaf (Bremerton, Wash.) and Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.) clocked an aggregate time of 2:04.06 to finish 11th. Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and Ingrid Marcum (Elmhurst, Ill.) teamed together in the FDNY sled for a total time of 2:04.59 to finish 13th.
World Cup action continues tomorrow with women’s skeleton and men’s two-man bobsled events. Watch a live feed of the races on www.FIBT.com. For media inquiries, please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager, at abird@usbsf.com, or at (518) 354-2250.
Results
1. Kaillie Humphries and Emily Baadsvik (CAN) 2:02.81 (1:01.63, 1:01.18); 2. Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer (GER) 2:02.93 (1:01.79, 1:01.14); 3. Fabienne Meyer and Hanne Schenk (SUI) 2:02.98 (1:01.75, 1:01.23);…8. Elana Meyers and Katie Eberling (USA) 2:03.78 (1:02.18, 1:01.60);…11. Bree Schaaf and Emily Azevedo (USA) 2:04.06 (1:02.11, 1:01.95);…13. Jazmine Fenlator and Ingrid Marcum (USA) 2:04.59 (1:02.45, 1:02.14);
About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Under Armour, United States National Guard, Kampgrounds of America, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Vivat!, Global Forwarding, KBC Helmets, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.
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