From Winterberg, GER
(March 2, 2024) – Despite warm weather in Winterberg, track records fell for the second straight day as Germany swept the podium in the IBSF World Championships two-woman bobsled race.
A German sweep was all but assured after the first two runs of the race, with Kim Kalicki in third .66 ahead of Kaysha Love in fourth. Ahead of Kalicki and brakewoman Leonie Fiebig were leaders Lisa Buckwitz and Vanessa Mark, as well as teammates Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi.
Unlike in the women’s monobob race a week ago, the third heat saw no movement in the standings, with Buckwitz having stretched her lead over Nolte out to .09 and Kalicki a full .23 back in third.
In the fourth heat Kalicki broke her own track record, set in the first heat to take the lead, well ahead of those behind her, to set up a real challenge for gold. That record would only last about two minutes, as Nolte and Levi set the quick start of the heat and slid to a record 55.75, a record that will stand until next season.
The final team off were Buckwitz and birthday girl Mark. At the start, Buckwitz’s gap closed after she was out-started by Nolte, and by the time she got to the Kreisel curve for the final time the lead was almost entirely erased. Out of Kreisel Buckwitz pulled away to hold off Nolte by .05 for her first career World Championship title.
Behind the Germans there was a spirited battle for fourth. Over the first three runs, USA’s Kaysha Love and Azaria Hill had battled with Australia’s Bree Walker and Kiara Reddingius, with USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor and Emily Renna hanging around in the hunt as well.
After three heats, Love and Walker were tied, with Meyers Taylor only .09 back. On the four run, Meyers Taylor had a clean run to take the lead and guarantee herself a top six, but one sled leader teammate Love put down a big slide to take the lead. Walker’s fourth effort was quick, but not quite as quick as Love’s, and she’d settle for fifth, with Love just ahead in fourth.
Love’s fourth run of 55.96 was the seventh fastest run of the entire competition and the fastest run of any non-German in Winterberg.
Melanie Hasler and Mara Morell had an outstanding final effort to move up from 11th after three runs to finish seventh.
Cynthia Appiah and Leah Walkeden beat out Canadian teammates Bianca Ribi and Niamh Haughey by .01 over four runs. Appiah finished eighth, which ties a career-best two-woman bobsled World Champs finish. Ribi’s ninth is a career-best.
Andreea Grecu and Teodora Vlad rounded out the top ten for Romania.
Great Britain’s Adele Nicoll entered the final heat of competition in seventh place, but had a bumpy final run and fell out of the top ten into 11th in just her second season as a pilot.
Melissa Lotholz and Alex Klein entered the second day in 19th. Her third run was very clean despite slower ice and enough to move her to 18th. Her fourth run was her quickest of the competition and enough to move her up to 17th.
Riley Tejcek had Jasmine Jones on her brakes for the first two heats but Jestena Mattson in the final two runs. In her first top tier race of the season, Tejcek finished 20th.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 3 | Run 4 | Total |
| 1 | Buckwitz / Mark | GER | 3 | 55.90 | 55.98 | 56.32 | 55.79 | 3:43.99 |
| 2 | Nolte / Levi | GER | 1 | 55.93 | 55.99 | 56.37 | 55.75 | 3:44.04 |
| 3 | Kalicki / Fiebig | GER | 2 | 55.89 | 56.05 | 56.49 | 55.84 | 3:44.27 |
| 4 | Love / Hill | USA | 11 | 56.37 | 56.23 | 56.67 | 55.96 | 3:45.23 |
| 5 | Walker / Reddingius | AUS | 9 | 56.38 | 56.24 | 56.65 | 56.16 | 3:45.43 |
| 6 | Meyers Taylor / Renna | USA | 7 | 56.41 | 56.29 | 56.66 | 56.28 | 3:45.64 |
| 7 | Hasler / Morell | SUI | 4 | 56.68 | 56.44 | 57.03 | 56.15 | 3:46.30 |
| 8 | Appiah / Walkeden | CAN | 10 | 56.67 | 56.52 | 56.89 | 56.28 | 3:46.36 |
| 9 | Ribi / Haughey | CAN | 15 | 56.69 | 56.51 | 56.89 | 56.28 | 3:46.37 |
| 10 | Grecu / Vlad | ROU | 8 | 56.68 | 56.52 | 56.91 | 56.37 | 3:46.48 |
| 11 | Nicoll / Placide | GBR | 18 | 56.57 | 56.48 | 57.02 | 56.51 | 3:46.58 |
| 12 | Boch / Senechal | FRA | 19 | 56.73 | 56.62 | 56.97 | 56.35 | 3:46.67 |
| 13 | Beierl / Schenk | AUT | 5 | 56.59 | 56.67 | 57.04 | 56.51 | 3:46.81 |
| 14 | Ying / Wang | CHN | 6 | 56.80 | 56.61 | 57.18 | 56.45 | 3:47.04 |
| 15 | Weiszewski / Zandecka | POL | 13 | 56.86 | 56.75 | 57.28 | 56.75 | 3:47.64 |
| 16 | Cernanska / Mokrasova | SVK | 12 | 57.03 | 56.78 | 57.36 | 56.63 | 3:47.80 |
| 17 | Lotholz / Klein | CAN | 16 | 56.96 | 57.07 | 57.30 | 56.60 | 3:47.93 |
| 18 | Van Petegem / de Kler | BEL | 14 | 57.29 | 56.71 | 57.63 | 56.85 | 3:48.48 |
| 19 | Annen / Leuenberger | SUI | 17 | 56.93 | 56.82 | 57.45 | 57.98 | 3:49.18 |
| 20 | Tejcek / Jones (1&2) / Mattson (3&4) | USA | 20 | 57.27 | 57.04 | 57.74 | 58.45 | 3:50.50 |
| 21 | Blizzard / Johnson | AUS | 24 | 57.36 | 56.97 | 57.75 | 2:52.08 | |
| 22 | Popoescu / Musulete | ROU | 21 | 57.76 | 57.20 | 57.98 | 2:52.94 | |
| 23 | Haslwanter / Braun | AUT | 23 | 57.78 | 57.52 | 58.55 | 2:53.85 | |
| 24 | Djolo / Doumpas | NED | 22 | 58.09 | 57.73 | 58.69 | 2:54.51 |