Holcomb Digs Gold

Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager

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

For Immediate Release

December 6, 2009

Holcomb Digs Gold 

CESANA, Italy- Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) maintained his overall lead in World Cup standings after winning his second consecutive four-man bobsled competition today.  Twenty-four teams navigated the 2006 Olympic course in Cesana, Italy for the third stop of the tour.  

Holcomb and his Night Train crew of Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas), Steve Mesler (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.) are recognizable names in the sport after collecting medals each season and the 2009 World Championship title, but the four-man pilot still acts surprised when he crosses the finish line with the lead. 

“I still get excited,” said Holcomb.  “This feeling never gets old, it’s always awesome.  It takes work every week to get on the podium, so it’s never an easy journey to win gold.  You usually know on your second run if you held onto the lead, but it’s still surprising to see your time on the clock." 

The Night Train crew proved they are still the fastest team off the starting blocks with push times of 4.77 and 4.74 seconds. 

“Everyone did their job today,” said Holcomb.  “I need to give credit to the guys because we had two fast pushes.  I had two good runs and we have a fast sled, so there’s nothing that says we shouldn’t be fast.  We have all the components to make it work, and the team came together today.”

Holcomb drove his Bodyn sled to the finish in 55.51 and 55.71 seconds, the fastest runs of the competition, for a combined time of one minute, 55.21 seconds for the victory.  The U.S. team finished 0.41 seconds ahead of the field in a sport decided by hundredths of a second. 

“It’s not just fun to win, but it’s fun to dominate,” said Holcomb.  “That feels even better.  Everyone wants to know what’s in our sled that makes it so fast, but they need to realize it’s a combination of great push times, good runs, and a good sled.”

The World Cup circuit will continue from Dec. 7-13th in Winterberg, Germany. 

“It will be tough going back to Germany,” said Holcomb.  “This was our first European win in a couple of years, but it’s nice to finally be back on top, especially this year.”

The last time Holcomb won on a European track was in January 2007 in Cortina, Italy’s four-man World Cup competition.  Holcomb won the overall title that season, and is on track to reclaiming the crown going into the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Swiss driver Ivo Rueegg teamed with Roman Handschin, Cedric Grand and Patrick Bloechli for the silver medal with a combined time of 1:51.22.  Rueegg was in fourth after a first run time of 55.81 seconds, but moved onto the podium after sliding a second run of 55.82. 

Lyndon Rush, who won the Park City, Utah four-man event, finished third with his teammates Chris LeBihan, Dan Humphries and Lascelles Brown.  The Canadian crew slid runs of 55.51 and 55.71 seconds for a total time of 1:51.67. 

John Napier (Lake Placid, N.Y.) was a few steps away from the podium after the first heat, but had a few mistakes in the second run and finished with a total time of 1:52.00 for ninth place.

“I’m content with a top ten finish,” said Napier.  “I feel honored and humbled to be competing against the best athletes in the world.  A few weeks ago was a scramble and it was difficult for me to be in a position at the top, but now I’ve mellowed out and feel like I can do this.”

Napier’s engine at the start consisted of Jamie Moriarty (Winnetka, Ill.), TJ Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.) and Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.). The crew pushed start times of 4.87 and 4.84 seconds to give the sled speed at the start.

“These guys really stepped it up today,” said Napier.  “It’s only the second day we’ve pushed together, so I’m really pleased with their performance.”

Napier steered his sled to the finish times in 55.91 seconds in the first heat, placing the team in fifth position among a competitive field of Olympic and World Cup medalists.  Now familiar territory for the young pilot, Napier remaining composed but had a few mistakes down the complex course for a second run time of 56.09 seconds, placing the team in ninth. 

“I made some mistakes on the second run,” said Napier.  “I know I have some work to do still, but I’m pretty happy.  Hopefully I can build on this feeling and continue to do better each week.”

Watch today’s four-man bobsled action on Thursday, Dec. 10th at 9 pm EST on Universal Sports.  Additional coverage can be found online by visiting www.UniversalSports.com. 

Complete results can be found by visiting the web site for the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing at www.fibt.com.  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:

1. Holcomb, Olsen, Mesler and Tomasevicz (USA) 1:51.22 (55.51, 55.71); 2. Rueegg, Handschin, Grand and Bloechli (SUI) 1:51.63 (55.81, 55.82); 3. Rush, BiHan, Humphries and Brown (CAN) 1:51.67 (55.76, 55.91);...9.Napier, Moriarty, Burns and Cunningham (USA) 1:52.00 (55.91, 56.09);

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.

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Tags: Curt Tomasevicz, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, Steven Holcomb