Castillo Edges Mapp, Blanco in Para Bobsled Opener

From Lake Placid, USA

(November 19, 2022) – The United States won the opening round of the IBSF Para Sport bobsled World Cup, with Guillermo Castillo holding off charges by Corie Mapp and Israel Blanco to take gold.

The race was close all over, with Castillo holding a .07 second advantage over Switzerland’s Jonas Frei, with Spain’s Blanco, Great Britain’s Mapp and others all well within the hunt for gold.

On the second run, USA’s Robert Balk threw down the quick run of the heat to slide into the lead, a spot he held for a few sleds until being unseated by Mapp. Mapp then leapfrogged Blanco by just .02 to hang onto the lead.

Frei couldn’t match his first run time and fell down the order, leaving only Castillo between Mapp and an opening round victory. Castillo couldn’t match his first run pace, but had just enough in his first run to hold off Mapp by just .04.

The win was the first for Guillermo, who previously had won bronze in Oberhof (2019) and Lake Placid (2020).

For Mapp, the 2017/2018 World Cup champion, the silver was his eighth, and the 22nd medal of his career.

Blanco’s bronze was his sixth. He has one gold medal (Lake Placid 2021) and one silver (2019 Lillehammer).

Balk took fourth, while two-time world champion Lonnie Bissonnette finished fifth. Defending world champ Jonas Frei finished sixth.

Results: