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

Holcomb and Tomasevicz finish just out of medal reach in Winterberg

WINTERBERG, Germany (Dec. 8, 2012)- Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) was knocked from the leader board today for the first time this two-man bobsled World Cup season.  Holcomb teamed with Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.) in Winterberg to finish out of medal reach in fifth. 

“Fifth is fifth,” Holcomb said.  “It stinks to not be on top of the podium again, but I can handle it.  I’m disappointed because it’s not like I was bouncing off the walls and making mistakes, but we’ll move on and figure out how to be faster tomorrow.”

Holcomb and Tomasevicz were in the mix at the start with push times of 5.26 and 5.22 seconds.  Holcomb guided the Under Armour sled to fifth position after a first run of 55.85 seconds and hoped to move up in the final heat. 

USA-1 didn’t make any glaring errors as they sped down the course, but Holcomb was unable to battle his way up in standings against a competitive field.  The crew clocked a second run of 55.98 for a combined time of 1:51.83 to finish outside of the medals in fifth. 

“This track doesn’t suit my style very well,” Holcomb said.  “Winterberg has always been a challenge for me.  I drive by feel, and this track is so mild that you have to drive using a lot of visual cues.  It’s a test for me.”

Holcomb struggled with poor vision since high school and suffers from keratoconus, a degenerative eye disorder in which the cornea distorts.  Holcomb learned to drive through streaking and blurring vision, relying on his sense of feeling rather than sight.  Even after a C3-R procedure that restored his sight, Holcomb still drives by feeling and memory, making subtle tracks like Winterberg a challenge to drive. 

Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter were absent from tour while rehabilitating injuries, and made a smashing season debut today.  The Swiss pair was victorious by 0.31 seconds with a total time of 1:51.01. Alexander Zubkov and Dmitry Trunenkov from Russia clocked a combined time of 1:51.32 to finish second, while Lyndon Rush and Jesse Lumsden from Canada were third with a two-run total of 1:51.41.  The Germans fumbled on their home track and were missing from the medals.

Cory Butner (Yucaipa, Calif.) has minimal experience on the European tracks and competed in Winterberg for the first time today.  Butner and veteran Johnny Quinn (McKinney, Texas) had a shaky first run, but USA-2 raced to the finish with an improved second heat to finish ninth with a combined time of 1:52.12.

Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) made his European debut today with fellow National Guardsman Chris Fogt (Alpine, Utah).  USA-3 posted push times of 5.24 and 5.27, and Cunningham piloted his sled to the finish in 56.27 and 56.02 seconds.  Cunningham amended his mistakes in the second run to move the team up a few positions into 13th with a combined time of 1:52.29. 

Athletes will now quickly prepare for the team event at 4:30 pm local time (10:30 ET).  You can watch the event live by visiting the Bobsleigh and Skeleton TV chancel on YouTube.

“I’m excited to get an extra run here,” Holcomb said about the team event.  “It gives me a chance to redeem myself, so we’ll see what happens.”

Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250 with media inquiries.

Results:

1. Beat Hefit and Thomas Lamparter (SUI) 1:51.01 (55.42, 55.59); 2. Alexander Zubkov and Dmitry Trunenkov (RUS) 1:51.32 (55.60, 55.72); 3. Lyndon Rush and Jesse Lumsden (CAN) 1:51.41 (55.64, 55.77);…5. Steven Holcomb and Curt Tomasevicz (USA) 1:51.83 (55.85, 55.98);…9. Cory Butner and Johnny Quinn (USA) 1:52.04 (56.19, 55.85);…13. Nick Cunningham and Chris Fogt (USA) 1:52.29 (56.27, 56.02);

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, Vivat!, Global Forwarding, KBC Helmets, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Autism Speaks, Park City Lodging, 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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