Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com

Meyers and Eberling just miss medals in fourth

WINTERBERG, Germany (Dec. 17, 2011)-Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) and Katie Eberling (Palos Hills, Ill.) capped the first half of the women’s bobsled World Cup season with a fourth place finish in Winterberg, Germany this morning. 

“This was a great way to finish before the break,” Meyers said.  “We had a great start to the season, and I hope we can come back after the holiday and make some additional visits to the podium leading up to a World Championships on our home track in Lake Placid, N.Y. this February.”

Meyers is competing in only her first full season as a driver, while Eberling is a first-year brakeman.  Despite their inexperience, the duo continues to show composure each week as they lead a young U.S. squad.

“I was able to push behind great pilots like Shauna Rohbock and Erin Pac, and I learned how to stay composed from them,” Meyers said.  “Starting my career as a brakeman allowed me the opportunity to grow as an athlete, and it’s also been really great to have a brakeman that really believes and trusts in me.  Katie is just in her first year, so I’m really looking forward to how we’ll continue to grow as a team.”

Meyers and Eberling powered the KOA sled off the block in 5.75 and 5.71 seconds to give the team momentum down the course.  Meyers threaded together runs of 58.46 and 58.39 seconds for a combined time of 1:56.85, which solidified the team in the top six.  Inclement weather snarled results from the top sleds, and USA-1 was able to move up two spots into fourth.

Germans Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer were victorious with a combined time of 1:56.32.  Teammates Anja Schneiderheinze and Christin Senkel were robbed of the gold by weather conditions and trailed by 0.28 seconds to finish second.  Fabienne Meyer and Hanne Schenk from Switzerland claimed their second consecutive medal by earning bronze today with a total time of 1:56.73. 

The top three sleds after the first run were crippled by a strong headwind and snow in the final heat.  Canadian Kaillie Humphries was in bronze medal position, but she fell victim to the worsening conditions and dropped into 10th. Veteran Sandra Kiriasis from Germany fell from silver medal position into seventh. 

“Weather conditions are an unfortunate part of racing, but I was able to be on the good side of that today,” Meyers said.  “We compete in a winter sport, so it’s expected that some races will be influenced by the weather.  I’m just happy that I’ve continued to grow each week.  I’m still learning, and I’m excited to see what we can do as a team going into the second half.”

Bree Schaaf (Bremerton, Wash.) and Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.) posted their best finish of the season after climbing into ninth with a two-run total of 1:57.44.  The 2010 Olympians teamed together in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure sled for starts of 5.92 and 5.95 seconds and runs of 58.69 and 58.75 seconds, respectively.

Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and Ingrid Marcum (Elmhurst, Ill.) finished 13th with a combined time of 1:58.43 after sliding runs of 59.41 and 59.02 seconds.  Fenlator and Marcum had a getaway 0.08 seconds better off the block in the second heat, and Fenlator moved the FDNY sled up two positions in the final run.

Watch the continuation of World Cup action in Winterberg today on 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. Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer (GER) 1:56.32 (58.20, 58.12); 2. Anja Schneiderheinze and Christin Senkel (GER) 1:56.60 (57.88, 58.72); 3. Fabienne Meyer and Hanne Schenk (SUI) 1:56.73 (58.20, 58.53); 4. Elana Meyers and Katie Eberling (USA) 1:56.85 (58.46, 58.39);…9. Bree Schaaf and Emily Azevedo (USA) 1:57.44 (58.69, 58.75);…13. Jazmine Fenlator and Ingrid Marcum (USA) 1:58/43 (59.41, 59.02);

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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