Kaillie Humphries poses for a portrait.
Kaillie Humphries admitted earlier this week that she was taking to the bobsled track frustrated. With two world cup wins and two fourth-place finishes making for an uneven season so far, Humphries was looking for the upswing.
The two-time Olympic champion for Canada, who has been competing for Team USA since November, got a bit closer to her winning goals Saturday, when she and “Milk Life presents, The Next Olympic Hopeful” partner Sylvia Hoffmann finished third in two-woman bobsled at the world cup in Innsbruck, Austria.
The U.S. women, who ranked second after completing their first run in 53.69 seconds, nabbed bronze after a 53.87-second second run, giving them a total time of 1 minute, 47.56 seconds. They finished 0.22 slower than winners Mariama Jamanka and Annika Drazek of Germany, who covered the course in 1:47.34 seconds, ahead of teammates Laura and Erline Nolte, who finished in 1:47.53 for second place.
Humphries normally partners with 2018 Olympic silver medalist Lauren Gibbs. Hoffmann, a 30-year-old from Texas who formerly specialized in weightlifting before being discovered at The Next Olympic Hopeful, has paired with bobsleigh great Elana Meyers Taylor at North American Cups in the past.
The medal in Innsbruck is Hoffman’s second at the world cup level, after a bronze won in Innsbruck last year.
Blythe Lawrence is a journalist based in Seattle. She has covered two Olympic Games and is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
