USA Bobsled and Skeleton
Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
Holcomb three-for-three in two-man bobsled World Cup
WHISTLER, British Columbia (Nov. 23, 2012)- Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) is three-for-three in two-man bobsled races this season. Holcomb teamed with powerhouse push athlete Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) in Whistler tonight to win his third consecutive two-man race in a blink of the eye.
“I didn’t win by much in this race,” Holcomb said. “Lyndon is on his home track, and it’s not easy to beat him here. I knew I had to lay down a smoker to keep the lead.”
Langton helped give Holcomb momentum down the course with a push time of 4.79 seconds, and Holcomb squeaked ahead of Canadian Lyndon Rush by just 0.03 seconds with a first run of 52.54 seconds.
“I made some mistakes in the first run, but I was able to watch some video between heats and knew what adjustments I needed to make,” Holcomb said. “I couldn’t make any mistakes in the second heat if I was going to maintain the lead, and I knew Langton was going to give me a huge start. I just had to do my job.”
The team powered the Under Armour sled off the starting block two-hundredths of a second faster in the final heat, and Holcomb pieced together a near perfect run for a combined time of 1:45.26. USA-1 found an additional hundredth to claim the gold medal by 0.04 seconds.
“Lyndon had a great second run, but we were lucky we were able to pick up that hundredth,” Holcomb said. “I’m happy that my two-man driving is coming around. I’m happy with the way things are going, because this field isn’t easy to beat. I just wish this had happened two years ago, but it gives me something to strive for in 2014.”
Holcomb is the reigning four-man bobsled Olympic and World Champion, and added two-man bobsled World Champion to his sliding resume last season alongside Langton. The two-man bobsled Olympic title has eluded him throughout his career, but he is on track for the World Cup title after going three-for-three this season.
“I hope I can carry this momentum to Europe,” Holcomb said. “We’ll be in the Germans’ backyard, and they’ll play rough. It’s going to be tough. But I’m really happy with how the season is going so far and hope we can continue our success.”
Rush teamed with Lascelles Brown for a total time of 1:45.26 to earn silver. Francesco Friedrich and Jannis Baecker from Germany tied Russians Alexander Zubkov and Dmitry Trunenkov for the bronze medal after clocking a two-run total of 1:45.60.
Soldier-athletes Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) and Chris Fogt (Alpine, Utah) teamed together in the National Guard sled for ninth place. The duo impressed the field with blistering starts of 4.78 and 4.79 seconds, and was en route to a medal position after a first run of 52.77 seconds. A few minor driving mistakes scuffed away time down the course in the final heat, and USA-3 fell into ninth position with a combined time of 1:46.11.
Cory Butner (Yucaipa, Calif.) teamed with Johnny Quinn (McKinney, Texas) in the Autism Speaks sled for 10th place. Butner made a name for himself as an emerging pilot after claiming silver in the first two World Cup events of the season. The rookie competed on the Whistler track for the second time in his career tonight, and posted a total time of 1:46.12 to finish just 0.01 seconds from his teammate.
Racing continues on the 2010 Olympic track tonight with the women’s bobsled competition at 6:30 p.m. PST. Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250 with media inquiries.
Results:
1. Steven Holcomb and Steve Langton (USA) 1:45.26 (52.54, 52.72); 2. Lyndon Rush and Lascelles Brown (CAN) 1:45.30 (52.57, 52.73); 3. Francesco Friedrich and Jannis Baecker (GER) 1:45.60 (52.64, 52.96); 3. Alexander Zubkov and Dmitry Trunenkov (RUS) 1:45.60 (52.66, 52.94);…9. Nick Cunningham and Chris Fogt (USA) 1:46.11 (52.77, 53.34); 10. Cory Butner and Johnny Quinn (USA) 1:46.12 (52.96, 53.16);
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.
###