From Lillehammer, NOR
(December 3, 2023) – After sitting out of the 2022/2023 IBSF season due to complications from a small stroke suffered in the offseason, Austria’s Kati Beierl completed her return to competition with a victory in the opening round of the Europe Cup two-woman bobsled season.
Beierl, who won a bronze medal in the opening round of monobob before sitting out the next two races, trailed Romania’s Andrea Grecu after one heat by just .04, with Belgium’s Kelly van Petegem in the mix only .08 back.
Onthe second run Beierl had a good enough drive to set the quick downtime of the heat, and that plus trouble early in Grecu’s run was enough to give the Austrian the gold.
The gold to open the season was Beierl’s fifth in six Europe Cup two-woman races, and sixth straight medal. For brakewoman Anna Schenk it was her first.
Schenk had previously been a brakewoman for the Italian team.
The Swiss team of Debora Annan and Julie Marie Leuenbegerger rallied from fifth place after the first heat to win silver, the team’s first medal in IBSF international competition.
Great Britain’s Adele Nicoll and Kya Placide used the strength of a heat-fastest start in Run 2 to propel themselves to a bronze medal, Nicoll’s first as a pilot.
Grecu finished the race in fourth place, .04 out of the medals. Van Petegem finished fifth while Germany’s Charlotte Candrix rounded out the top six.
Italian motor racing star Simona de Silvestro finished eighth in her two-woman bobsled debut for her first top ten as a bobsled pilot.
Great Britain’s Nikki McSweeney finished ninth in her season debut on-ice, up from 11th in her first heat.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Finish |
| 1 | Beierl / Schenk | AUT | 18 | 5.60 | 5.63 | 53.45 | 53.60 | 1:47.05 |
| 2 | Annen / Leuenberger | SUI | 15 | 5.69 | 5.67 | 53.59 | 53.64 | 1:47.23 |
| 3 | Nicoll / Placide | GBR | 1 | 5.58 | 5.56 | 53.57 | 53.73 | 1:47.30 |
| 4 | Grecu / Musulete | ROU | 4 | 5.66 | 5.68 | 53.41 | 53.93 | 1:47.34 |
| 5 | van Petegem / de Haseleer | BEL | 5 | 5.68 | 5.76 | 53.49 | 54.03 | 1:47.52 |
| 6 | Chandrix / Kwofie | GER | 9 | 5.54 | 5.61 | 53.60 | 54.04 | 1:47.64 |
| 7 | Blatty / Gloor | SUI | 17 | 5.67 | 5.62 | 53.79 | 53.90 | 1:47.69 |
| 8 | de Silvestro / Chenet | ITA | 13 | 5.84 | 5.89 | 53.86 | 54.27 | 1:48.13 |
| 9 | McSweeney / Gibb | GBR | 10 | 5.69 | 5.70 | 53.95 | 54.24 | 1:48.19 |
| 10 | Post / Bolten | NED | 6 | 5.91 | 5.94 | 53.99 | 54.31 | 1:48.30 |
| 11 | Filipszki / Neunecker | GER | 8 | 5.57 | 5.65 | 53.91 | 54.41 | 1:48.32 |
| 12 | Popescu / Sarbu | ROU | 11 | 5.82 | 5.81 | 54.19 | 54.18 | 1:48.37 |
| 13 | Djolo / Wau | NED | 2 | 5.66 | 5.76 | 53.92 | 54.53 | 1:48.45 |
| 13 | Slupecka / Janus | POL | 12 | 5.83 | 5.85 | 54.21 | 54.24 | 1:48.45 |
| 15 | Haslwanter / Kannenberg | AUT | 7 | 5.66 | 5.70 | 53.99 | 54.63 | 1:48.62 |
| 16 | Blizzard / Setiadji | AUS | 14 | 5.90 | 5.91 | 54.59 | 54.82 | 1:49.41 |
| 17 | Cavalleri / Favaretto | ITA | 16 | 5.76 | 5.84 | 55.09 | 55.31 | 1:50.40 |
| DSQ | Longden / Lee-Liggett | GBR | 3 | 5.71 | 5.79 | 54.39 | DSQ |