From La Plagne, FRA
(December 9, 2023) – Kaysha Love is no stranger to the top of a World Cup podium. As a brakewoman behind Kaillie Humphries, the American won three gold medals from 2021 to the end of the 2022/2023 season.
But this season Love has committed to carving her own path out in World Cup bobsled and began that campaign in tremendous fashion with a gold medal in her very first World Cup start as a pilot.
Love’s margin of victory was .21, but the race may not have even been that close. In the first heat Love had the fastest push of the heat by .06 and had the lead throughout the bulk of her run. Late in the run a few small mistakes dropped her to fifth, but only .01 back.
Love’s second start was even quicker by .01, and this time she did not falter. She took the lead and held it after France’s Margot Boch, Australia’s Breeana Walker, and Germany’s Laura Nolte all couldn’t match her spectacular run.
With one sled to go, the United States was guaranteed a gold medal. Elana Meyers Taylor, making her first start since having her second child, took a .1 lead over Kaysha Love to the starting block. Meyers Taylor’s push was slower than Love’s and the Olympic monobob silver medalist found herself behind by the first split.
Meyers Taylor was unable to match the pace set by Love. Her run was just a little bumpy, and with the field so tight after the first run she finished in fourth, .02 out of the medals in her return to the sport after a year off.
Behind Kaysha Love were some other big movers. Switzerland’s Melanie Hasler slid from seventh in the first heat, .15 back, to a silver medal, while Romania’s Andreea Grecu won bronze, .29 back.
Meyers Taylor missed out on a medal by just .02, but was .09 ahead of Nolte and Walker, who tied for fifth.
Canada’s Cynthia Appiah and Bianca Ribi finished ninth and tenth respectively on a track that neither has much experience on.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Kaysha Love | USA | 15 | 6.80 | 6.79 | 64.13 | 63.79 | 2:07.92 |
| 2 | Melanie Hasler | SUI | 6 | 6.95 | 6.92 | 64.18 | 63.95 | 2:08.13 |
| 3 | Andreea Grecu | ROU | 10 | 6.89 | 6.85 | 64.17 | 64.04 | 2:08.21 |
| 4 | Elana Meyers Taylor | USA | 3 | 7.01 | 7.01 | 64.03 | 64.20 | 2:08.23 |
| 5 | Laura Nolte | GER | 5 | 7.06 | 7.08 | 64.05 | 64.27 | 2:08.32 |
| 5 | Breeana Walker | AUS | 10 | 6.88 | 6.89 | 64.05 | 64.27 | 2:08.32 |
| 7 | Lisa Buckwitz | GER | 7 | 6.86 | 6.82 | 64.42 | 64.07 | 2:08.49 |
| 8 | Margot Boch | FRA | 2 | 7.05 | 7.10 | 64.06 | 64.44 | 2:08.50 |
| 9 | Cynthia Appiah | CAN | 8 | 6.97 | 6.86 | 64.49 | 64.34 | 2:08.83 |
| 10 | Bianca Ribi | CAN | 9 | 7.15 | 7.18 | 64.51 | 64.41 | 2:08.92 |
| 11 | Qing Ying | CHN | 4 | 7.17 | 7.04 | 64.56 | 64.38 | 2:08.94 |
| 12 | Kim Kalicki | GER | 13 | 7.11 | 7.15 | 64.78 | 64.65 | 2:09.43 |
| 13 | Mingming Huai | CHN | 12 | 7.07 | 7.10 | 64.83 | 64.68 | 2:09.51 |
| 14 | Linda Weiszewski | POL | 1 | 7.09 | 7.08 | 64.97 | 64.73 | 2:09.70 |
| 15 | Giada Andreutti | ITA | 14 | 7.64 | 7.74 | 75.48 | 75.66 | 2:11.14 |