From Igls, AUT
(January 18, 2025) – Lisa Buckwitz’s outstanding 2024/2025 season continued in Igls, Austria, as the German slid to her third straight gold medal in the women’s monobob.
Buckwitz slid to a track record time of 54.14 in the first heat, but only led by .07 over USA’s Kaysha Love, with both Australia’s Bree Walker and Germany’s Laura Nolte both within .15 as well.
In the second heat, Nolte took the lead from Melanie Hasler and then held her spot as Walker couldn’t match Nolte’s second effort.
Love was next on the track where she’d previously won silver. Her start time matched the start record of 5.76 held by Cynthia Appiah and the American nearly matched her first run downtime to take the lead by .06 over Nolte and guarantee herself another monobob medal.
But Buckwitz has been in peak form seemingly all season, and flexed her muscle again in the second run. She broke Appiah’s start record by .02 and slid quick. Her second run wasn’t quite as quick as Love’s, but she had enough time in the bank to win gold by .04 over Love, with Nolte a tenth back in third.
The gold for Buckwitz was her eighth in women’s monobob, four of which have come in Igls. For Love, the silver medal was her fourth medal in the single-seater and second silver in Igls.
Nolte’s bronze was her 11th in World Cup monobob action.
Walker finished fourth, .18 out of the medals. Hasler was fifth. USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor was sixth, up from eighth in the first heat.
Appiah was the top Canadian in tenth place. Melissa Lotholz was 16th, and Bianca Ribi 22nd to round out the Canadian effort.
USA’s Sylvia Hoffman finished tied for 11th with Switzerland’s Debora Annen. Kaillie Armbruster Humphries continued her comeback from maternity leave with a 14th place finish, up from 15th in the first heat.
Great Britain’s Adele Nicoll continued recovery from a foot injury with a 15th place finish, up from 18th in the first heat.
Sarah Blizzard finished 23rd in the second Australian sled.
After four races in the IBSF women’s monobob season, Buckwitz leads Nolte by 66 points, with Walker in third. Romania’s Andreea Grecu is fourth, and Kim Kalicki fifth.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Lisa Buckwitz | GER | 13 | 5.76 | 5.74 | 54.14 | 54.27 | 1:48.41 |
| 2 | Kaysha Love | USA | 7 | 5.77 | 5.76 | 54.21 | 54.24 | 1:48.45 |
| 3 | Laura Nolte | GER | 6 | 5.90 | 5.83 | 54.28 | 54.23 | 1:48.51 |
| 4 | Breeana Walker | AUS | 10 | 5.87 | 5.88 | 54.27 | 54.42 | 1:48.69 |
| 5 | Melanie Hasler | SUI | 4 | 5.90 | 5.86 | 54.41 | 54.43 | 1:48.84 |
| 6 | Elana Meyers Taylor | USA | 14 | 5.93 | 5.90 | 54.54 | 54.42 | 1:48.96 |
| 7 | Andreea Grecu | ROU | 5 | 5.85 | 5.87 | 54.44 | 54.54 | 1:48.98 |
| 8 | Kim Kalicki | GER | 12 | 5.90 | 5.93 | 54.52 | 54.54 | 1:49.06 |
| 9 | Katrin Beierl | AUT | 15 | 5.94 | 5.90 | 54.72 | 54.53 | 1:49.25 |
| 10 | Cynthia Appiah | CAN | 11 | 5.85 | 5.83 | 54.75 | 54.53 | 1:49.28 |
| 11 | Sylvia Hoffman | USA | 19 | 5.82 | 5.80 | 54.78 | 54.55 | 1:49.33 |
| 11 | Debora Annen | SUI | 16 | 5.99 | 5.96 | 54.75 | 54.58 | 1:49.33 |
| 13 | Qing Ying | CHN | 3 | 6.01 | 5.98 | 54.71 | 54.77 | 1:49.48 |
| 14 | Kaillie Armbruster Humphries | USA | 9 | 6.04 | 6.09 | 54.82 | 54.79 | 1:49.61 |
| 15 | Adele Nicoll | GBR | 23 | 6.00 | 6.01 | 54.90 | 54.81 | 1:49.71 |
| 16 | Melissa Lotholz | CAN | 8 | 5.84 | 5.85 | 54.83 | 54.92 | 1:49.75 |
| 17 | Margot Boch | FRA | 17 | 6.07 | 6.04 | 54.89 | 54.89 | 1:49.78 |
| 18 | Linda Weiszewski | POL | 2 | 6.02 | 5.96 | 54.81 | 55.01 | 1:49.82 |
| 19 | Kelly van Petegem | BEL | 18 | 6.02 | 6.02 | 54.90 | 54.93 | 1:49.83 |
| 20 | Lea Haslwanter | AUT | 25 | 6.01 | 6.08 | 55.02 | 55.19 | 1:50.21 |
| 21 | Loren Djolo | NED | 1 | 5.99 | 55.08 | |||
| 22 | Bianca Ribi | CAN | 24 | 6.00 | 55.14 | |||
| 23 | Sarah Blizzard | AUS | 20 | 6.23 | 55.31 | |||
| 24 | Viktoria Cernanska | SVK | 22 | 6.24 | 55.51 | |||
| 25 | Georgeta Popescu | ROU | 21 | 6.23 | 55.80 |