From Winterberg, Germany
The FIBT World Championships kicked off in style from Winterberg, with track record speeds on-ice. At the top of the leaderboard going into Saturday’s third and fourth runs is American Elana Meyers Taylor, who along with brakewoman Cherrelle Garrett set the new Winterberg start record, and then twice broke the track record on the way to a .39 advantage over a trio of German pilots.
Cathleen Martini came into her second run ahead of teammate Anja Schneiderheinze, but an early mistake in Curve 0 on her second run cost Martini a bunch of speed, and second place in the process. Schneiderheinze had two big starts, and that helps her stay within .4 of Meyers Taylor, while Martini sits just behind her teammate in third.
Stefanie Szczurek leads a battle for fourth, just ahead of Elfje Willemsen of Belgium and Jazmine Fenlator of the United States, who round out the top 6. Jamie Gruebel put her sled in seventh, making it all three American sleds in the top seven. Kaillie Humphries sits in eighth.
Mica McNeill led the way for Great Britain in a tie for 12th with Russian Aleksandra Rodionova, while teammate Victoria Olaoye is 16th.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Meyers Taylor/Garrett | USA | 2 | 56.65 | 56.64 | 1:53.29 |
| 2 | Schneiderheinze/Drazek | GER | 4 | 57.00 | 56.68 | 1:53.68 |
| 3 | Martini/Schneider | GER | 7 | 56.82 | 56.99 | 1:53.81 |
| 4 | Szczurek/Nolte | GER | 8 | 57.12 | 56.97 | 1:54.09 |
| 5 | Willemsen/Vercruyssen | BEL | 6 | 57.10 | 57.01 | 1:54.11 |
| 6 | Fenlator/DeRatt | USA | 5 | 57.15 | 56.99 | 1:54.14 |
| 7 | Greubel Poser/Gibbs | USA | 1 | 57.36 | 57.01 | 1:54.37 |
| 8 | Humphries/Lotholz | CAN | 3 | 57.37 | 57.03 | 1:54.40 |
| 9 | Constantin/Grecu | ROU | 14 | 57.40 | 57.23 | 1:54.63 |
| 10 | Wagner/Buckwitz | GER | 17 | 57.46 | 57.28 | 1:54.74 |
| 11 | Hengster/Dekker | AUT | 9 | 57.55 | 57.43 | 1:54.98 |
| 12 | McNeill/Kiddle | GBR | 11 | 57.58 | 57.55 | 1:55.11 |
| 12 | Rodionova/Paleeva | RUS | 13 | 57.53 | 57.58 | 1:55.11 |
| 14 | Sergeeva/Shokshueva | RUS | 10 | 57.73 | 57.64 | 1:55.37 |
| 15 | van Huigenbosch/Bökelman | NED | 16 | 57.80 | 57.68 | 1:55.48 |
| 16 | Olaoye/McSweeney | GBR | 12 | 57.93 | 57.61 | 1:55.54 |
| 17 | Vannieuwenhuyse/Defreyne | BEL | 15 | 57.86 | 57.72 | 1:55.58 |
