From Sigulda, LAT
(February 3, 2024) – Lisa Buckwitz has become tremendously familiar with the top of the women’s monobob podium this sesaon, entering the race in Sigulda having won three of five races, but needed something special to take gold in Sigulda.
Buckwitz trailed both Romania’s Andreea Grecu and German teammate Maureen Zimmer after the first heat, with a host of experienced sliders behind her ready to pounce if anyone ahead made a mistake.
The United States’ Elana Meyers Taylor entered the second heat in fifth place and slid to the lead ahead of teammate Kaysha Love, leaving the three Germans and Grecu to go. Laura Nolte was next, and the reigning monobob world champion struggled to find the pace she’s accustomed to, finishing her run tied with Meyers Taylor for the lead.
Up next was Buckwitz, and the World Cup leader had that aforementioned special run. Her start time was a track record 5.55, and her drive was better than anyone else’s in the heat to take the lead handily.
World Cup rookie Maureen Zimmer struggled to find speed in her second run and plummeted behind Love, which left Grecu between Buckwitz and gold.
Grecu’s previous best finish in any World Cup event had been a two-woman silver medal in Sigulda. She was ahead early in her run, but just couldn’t match the slide that Buckwitz had put down. While she didn’t win gold, she did take silver, a career-best in World Cup monobob action.
Grecu’s slide gave the gold to Buckwitz, her fourth in six monobob events this season. Grecu’s silver was her second medal on the monobob season after a season-opening bronze medal in La Plagne.
Nolte and Meyers Taylor tied for bronze, which gave Meyers Taylor her first IBSF World Cup medal in women’s monobob after winning medals in the older Monobob World Series.
Love finished fifth a day after crashing in the two-women’s bobsled, while Zimmer finished sixth.
Austria’s Kati Beierl finished tenth a day after a season’s best two-woman finish of sixth, while Great Britain’s Adele Nicoll improved from 13th in the first heat to finish 11th.
Canada’s Bianca Ribi finished 13th. Teammate Cynthia Appiah was deemed overweight after the first heat and was disqualified.
The race doubled as the European Championships, where Buckwitz, Grecu, and Nolte were gold, silver, and bronze respectively.
With two races remaining in the IBSF World Cup season, Lisa Buckwitz holds an 80 point lead over Kaysha Love. Australia’s Bree Walker is third, with Laura Nolte and Andreea Grecu rounding out the top five.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Lisa Buckwitz | GER | 7 | 5.61 | 5.55 | 53.57 | 53.89 | 1:47.46 |
| 2 | Andreea Grecu | ROU | 5 | 5.61 | 5.61 | 53.46 | 54.27 | 1:47.73 |
| 3 | Elana Meyers Taylor | USA | 11 | 5.73 | 5.68 | 53.71 | 54.16 | 1:47.87 |
| 3 | Laura Nolte | GER | 6 | 5.73 | 5.74 | 53.59 | 54.28 | 1:47.87 |
| 5 | Kaysha Love | USA | 9 | 5.73 | 5.65 | 53.89 | 54.34 | 1:48.23 |
| 6 | Maureen Zimmer | GER | 3 | 5.61 | 5.64 | 53.54 | 54.72 | 1:48.26 |
| 7 | Melanie Hasler | SUI | 8 | 5.75 | 5.76 | 54.07 | 54.47 | 1:48.54 |
| 8 | Qing Ying | CHN | 12 | 5.84 | 5.80 | 54.18 | 54.42 | 1:48.60 |
| 9 | Breeana Walker | AUS | 10 | 5.67 | 5.71 | 54.07 | 54.54 | 1:48.61 |
| 10 | Katrin Beierl | AUT | 15 | 5.87 | 5.81 | 54.42 | 54.24 | 1:48.66 |
| 11 | Adele Nicoll | GBR | 14 | 5.80 | 5.79 | 54.49 | 54.30 | 1:48.79 |
| 12 | Viktoria Cernanska | SVK | 1 | 5.99 | 5.99 | 54.29 | 54.66 | 1:48.95 |
| 13 | Bianca Ribi | CAN | 4 | 5.91 | 5.95 | 54.31 | 54.98 | 1:49.29 |
| 14 | Linda Weiszewski | POL | 2 | 5.82 | 5.85 | 55.00 | 54.97 | 1:49.97 |
| DSQ | Cynthia Appiah | CAN | 13 | 5.66 | 53.85 | DSQ |