Meyers Taylor Snaps German Stranglehold on Gold

From St. Moritz, SUI

(Jan. 26, 2019) – It had been over a year since a non-German won a top-level bobsled race (IBSF World Cup and Olympics). The last athlete to have driven a sled to victory prior to that streak was Elana Meyers Taylor in St. Moritz. She looked to do it again on the same track once again.

Meyers Taylor led by just over a tenth of a second going into the second heat, with Germans Stephanie Schneider and Mariama Jamanka breathing down her neck. Both German women came into the race as winners in the 2018/2019 season.

On the second run both Jamanka and Schneider had runs that were average at best. This left the door wide open for the American. Meyers Taylor may not have even needed that door open, as she busted through with the race’s quickest run to win gold by .6 seconds over Schnedier, with Jamanka taking bronze.

Anna Köhler finished fourth, just ahead of Great Britain’s Mica McNeill in fifth.

Andreea Grecu finished the first heat in tenth place, but put down the second fastest run of the second heat to catapult up the order to finish sixth.

Brittany Reinbolt was in contention for a top six after one run, but a bumpy second run left her 11th.

Results: