Lake Kwaza (L) and Elana Meyers Taylor pose for a photo at the finish of the women's bobsled world cup on Jan. 12, 2019 in Koenigssee, Germany.
Three-time Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor and Lake Kwaza claimed their third consecutive podium and best finish yet of the bobsled season, winning silver in Koenigssee, Germany, on Saturday.
The duo sat in third place following the first run of the day with a time of 51.18 seconds, just barely off Germany’s Stephanie Schneider and Ann-Christin Strack, who were in second with a time of 51.17.
The Americans got off to a blazing start in their second run, logging the fastest start time of the day with a 5.19. The two finished their run in 50.88 to jump into first place with just two teams remaining.
Schneider and Strack improved on their first-run time, but their 51.02 couldn’t match Meyers Taylor and Kwaza and they fell into second place just .13 seconds behind the Americans.
In the end, it was first-run leaders Mariama Jamanka, who won the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and Annika Drazek of Germany who matched the Americans’ 5.19 start time and their own first-run score of 50.85 to retain the lead with a total time of 1:41.70.
Meyers Taylor and Kwaza were .36 seconds behind the leaders in total time. The two previously won bronze medals in Winterberg and Altenberg, Germany, which were their only previous races together. This is Kwaza’s first season on the world cup team and second in the sport.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
