2012/2013 FIBT World Cup – Round 9 – Men’s Skeleton – Heat 1

From Sochi, Russia

It’s a new track for most everyone in Russia, and the results have shown that it’s most anyone’s race (for bronze, anyway).  With times all over place, the front two sliders are exactly who you’d expect: Martins Dukurs leads Alexander Tretjyakov by .17.  Dukurs holds the new start and track records.  The Latvian and Russian were really the only two sliders to have perfectly clean runs down (though there was a small skid by Tretjyakov), while everyone else scrambled to find speed.

The big battle is going to be for third: Tomass Dukurs overcame trouble at the start to grab third after Heat 1, while American John Daly and German Frank Rommel sit fourth and fifth, .10 and .15 behind Dukurs respectively.

Matt Antoine and Kyle Tress both had spotty runs for Team USA, but both will see a second heat with Tress in 11th and Antoine in 13th, while teammate Daly sits fourth.   Team Canada had similar issues, with nobody really able to claim a clean run.  Jon Montgomery sits seventh, John Fairbairn tenth and Eric Neilson 12th.  Neilson slid through a pile of ice after a Dom Parsons hit at the start, but was not given a second attempt at his first run.

The British team had a forgettable first run, with Kristan Bromley leading the way tied for 14th, while Ed Smith sits 16th, and Parsons

Results after Heat 1: