Bascue and Peterson seventh in Youth Olympic Games two-man bobsled race

IGLS, Austria (Jan. 22, 2012)- Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) and Jake Peterson (Princeton, Minn.) finished seventh in the two-man bobsled Youth Olympic Games competition this morning just hours before Closing Ceremonies.  The team arrived in Igls nearly two weeks ago, and has been anxiously waiting their turn to race for gold.

“The excitement definitely built up since we got here,” said Peterson, who carried the U.S. flag into Opening Ceremonies nine days ago.  “So far, this has been the best experience of my life.”

One of only two North American teams entered into the event, Bascue and Peterson gave their best efforts to learn the course in the eight training runs offered this week.  Team USA pushed off the block in 5.53 and 5.56 seconds for runs of 54.98 and 54.67 seconds, respectively, but fell short of gold by half a second. 

“I’ve had trouble with curve nine all week, but I was happy with the second run,” Bascue said.  “It was an incredible experience.  If I could do it again, I definitely would.  It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

Italians Patrick Baumgartner and Alessandro Grande were crowned Youth Olympic Champions after striking from behind to snag gold by 0.09 seconds with a combined time of 1:49.14.  Italy was considered out of the running for the title after placing fourth in the first heat, but the pair posted the fastest run of the competition in the final heat to strike gold.

Austrians Benjamin Maier and Robert Ofensberger maintained their silver medal position in the second run to earn a medal for the host nation with a two-run total of 1:49.23.  Monacans Rudy Rinaldo and Jeremy Torre were greeted with cheers from Prince Albert of Monaco, who is a former competitive bobsledder, after they clocked a total time of 1:49.31 for bronze.

Latvians Oksars Kibermanis and Elvis Kamss held a small lead of 0.03 seconds in the first run, but the crew dropped into fourth after posting only the seventh best run of the final heat.

“We are really proud of Codie and Jake for being such wonderful representatives of our country at the Youth Olympic Games,” said Darrin Steele, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.  “They swept the qualification races to earn their spot, and we are very excited to see these two talented athletes progress.  They add depth to our growing program, and I expect we’ll hear a lot more about Codie and Jake in years to come.”

For media inquiries, please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager, at abird@usbsf.com, or at (518) 354-2250. 

Results:

1. Patrick Baumgartner and Alessandro Grande (ITA) 1:49.14 (54.83, 54.31); 2. Benjamin Maier and Robert Ofensberger (AUT) 1:49.23 (54.60, 54.63); 3. Rudy Rinaldi and Jeremy Toree (MON) 1:49.31 (54.65, 54.66);…7. Codie Bascue and Jake Peterson (USA) 1:49.65 (54.98, 54.67);