U.S. Team Repeats Gold, Silver Medal Performance

Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager

(518) 523-1842, ext 106, abird@usbsf.com

For Immediate Release

November 22, 2009

U.S. Team Repeats Gold, Silver Medal Performance 

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.- It was déjà vu at the Lake Placid, N.Y. bobsled track today as the U.S. team again claimed the top podium positions.  The crowd chanted, “U-S-A,” at the finish when Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) and John Napier (Lake Placid, N.Y.) crossed the final timing eye for the gold and silver medals in today’s four-man bobsled World Cup competition. 

“All summer we’ve said we have the strongest U.S. team we’ve ever had,” said Holcomb.  “Today shows that we’re going to be a fighting force out there.  It’s going to be a good year, and I’m excited.  We can keep the momentum going from here.”

In yesterday’s two-man bobsled competition, Napier edged out Holcomb for the gold medal.  Today the U.S. team again won the top prize; only this time Holcomb edged Napier for the win. 

“We did an awesome job,” said Napier.  “All the pieces of the puzzle fit together.  We went one-two over two consecutive days with Holcomb.  It’s an amazing feeling to be up there on the podium with him.”

Holcomb proved he is the fastest bobsled pilot in the world after winning the gold medal on the track he claimed the World Championship title on last February. 

“What an awesome day,” said Holcomb.  “Today really goes to the pushers.  They stepped it up, and without a good start we would have been out of it in the first run.  Our push kept us in the mix.”

Holcomb and his World Championship teammates Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas), Steve Mesler (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.) dominated the competition from start to finish.  The Night Train crew pushed start times of 4.96 and 4.94 for finish times of 54.75 and 54.85 seconds, respectively.  The team claimed the victory over USA II by 0.44 seconds. 

Napier continued his medal streak, winning his second consecutive World Cup medal today.  The young pilot has never placed higher than fifth, but claimed yesterday’s two-man gold medal and carried momentum into today’s race. 

“Yesterday was a tiring and stressful day,” said Napier.  “I’ve never been in that place before, so it was really wearing.  I wasn’t home for ten minutes before I passed out.”

Napier teamed with Jamie Moriarty (Winnetka, Ill.), Chris Fogt (Alpine, Utah) and Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) for the third fastest push times of the competition in both heats, a 5.04 and 5.03. 

“We’re really strong this year,” said Napier.  “We’re coming, we’re ready to win a medal and keep the success going.”

Napier was fourth after the first run with a time of 54.86 seconds, but pulled ahead of the field in the second heat with a run of 55.18 seconds for a combined time of 1:50.04 for the silver medal. 

“When Napier first came out I had no idea who he was,” said Holcomb.  “He was a little kid driving bobsleds.  Then he started getting better and better, put on some pounds and matured a lot.  It’s really cool to see him grow up and fight me for the podium.”

The third U.S. sled entered into the race, driven by Mike Kohn (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), finished 14th with a total time of 1:51.46.  Teamed with Bill Schuffenhauer (Ogden, Utah), TJ Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.) and Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.), Kohn pushed times of 5.13 and 5.11 for runs of 55.71 and 55.75 seconds. 

“The guys fought hard,” said Kohn.  “We got faster in the second run at the start, and we were consistent.  I was happy with our improvements.”

Kohn will compete in the America’s Cup circuit this season in an effort to qualify for the 2010 Olympic team.

A team event immediately followed the four-man competition.  The team event consists of one run in men’s skeleton, women’s bobsled, women’s skeleton and two-man bobsled.  The winner is the team with the lowest combined time in four heats. 

Germany claimed the gold medal with a combined time of 3:46.92.  Frank Rommel started the lead with a men’s skeleton run of 55.07 seconds.  Sandra Kiriasis teamed with Berit Wiacker for a women’s bobsled run of 58.27, and Marion Trott stretched the lead in women’s skeleton with a heat of 56.61 seconds.  Thomas Florschuetz and Marc Kuehne synched the gold medal for Germany with a two-man bobsled run of 56.97 seconds.

The U.S. team of men’s bobsled athlete Eric Bernotas (Avondale, Pa.), women’s bobsled pair Erin Pac (Farmington, Conn.) and Jamie Greubel (Newtown, Pa.), women’s skeleton athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) and men’s bobsled duo John Napier (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and TJ Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.) finished second.  The U.S. team slid a combined time of 3:47.97 after sliding runs of 55.61, 58.67, 56.90 and 56.79 seconds, respectively. 

The bronze medal went to the Canadians with a total time of 3:48.18.  Jon Montgomery slid a 55.70 in the men’s skeleton event, Kaillie Humphries and Amanda Moreley finished in 58.52 for women’s bobsled, Mellisa Hollingsworth slid a 56.86 in women’s skeleton, and Lyndon Rush and Neville Wright crossed the line in 57.10 seconds for the bronze. 

The teams will have a one week break from competition before moving on to Cesana, Italy for the third World Cup event of the 2009-2010 season. 

Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager, at (518) 523-1842, ext. 106, or at abird@usbsf.com for any questions regarding the U.S. team.

Results:

Men’s four-man bobsled:

1. Holcomb, Olsen, Mesler and Tomasevicz (USA) 1:49.60 (54.75, 54.85); 2. Napier, Moriarty, Langton and Fogt (USA) 1:50.04 (54.86, 55.18); 3. Stampfer, Wipplinger, Mayer and Lachkovic (AUT) 1:50.14 (54.79, 55.35);...14. Kohn, Schuffenhauer, Burns and Cunningham (USA) 1:51.46 (55.71, 55.75);

Team event (Men’s Skeleton, Women’s Bobsled, Women’s Skeleton, Men’s Bobsled):

1. Rommel, Kiriasis/Wiacker, Trott, Florschuetz/Kuehne (GER) 3:46.92 (55.07, 58.27, 56.61, 56.97); 2. Bernotas, Pac/Greubel, Pikus-Pace, Napier/Burns 3:47.97 (55.61, 58.67, 56.90, 56.79); 3. Montgomery, Humphries/Moreley, Hollingsworth, Rush/Wright (CAN) 3:48.18 (55.70, 58.52, 56.86, 57.10);...5. Lund, Schaaf/Marcum, Sorensen, Holcomb/Schuffenhauer (USA) 3:50.09 (56.18, 58.80, 57.86, 57.25);

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: Allianz Life, Under Armour, Vilter Manufacturing, 776 Original Marketing, KBC Helmets, Luminox Watch Company, EDAS/Ripxx and Ferris Mfg. Corp. The USBSF would also like to thank the following sponsors and suppliers for their partner, the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project:  Whelen Engineering, PPG, Columbia Sportswear, JEGS Automotive, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, EXA, Lumber Liquidators, Lincoln Electronics and Racing Electronics.  For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.

###