Balk Edges Mapp in La Plagne

From La Plagne, FRA

(March 23, 2024) – Robert Balk came from behind to edge out Corie Mapp in the penultimate race of the 2023/2024 IBSF Para Sport Bobsleigh World Cup.

Balk trailed Mapp by just .01 after the first heat with the remainder of the field over a quarter second back.

In the second heat Balk put down a run that would be third quickest of the heat to take the lead from Switzerland’s Christopher Stewart and Italy’s Flavio Menardi, who were tied after two runs.

Mapp’s second slide was once again close to mirroring Balk’s, but a small issue late in Mapp’s run cost him valuable speed and the Brit finished .07 behind Balk to take silver, with the American winning gold ahead of him.

Balk’s gold was his first of the World Cup season. He’d previously won the world championship title in Lillehammer earlier this season.

Stewart and Mendardi tied for bronze, with Austria’s Hermann Ellmauer only a hundredth of a second back in fifth place.

Italy’s David Jennewein rounded out the top six.

The United States put three sleds in the top ten, with Austin Parker and Guillermo Castillo in eighth and ninth, respectively. David Christopher finished 14th to round out the field.

Results: