From Sigulda, LAT
Feb. 14, 2020 – It took 43 races for Nadezhda Sergeeva to win a gold medal on the IBSF World Cup tour, and she did so in the European Championships.
The Russian broke the track record in the first heat, opening up a .03 second advantage over Romania’s Andreea Grecu and Germany’s Mariama Jamanka, who were tied for second, with Stephanie Schneider just .04 behind them in fourth.
In the second heat, needing a big finish to clinch the World Cup title, Schneider broke Sergeeva’s track record to put the pressure on the women ahead of her. Jamanka was next, and couldn’t answer, setting a time a tenth slower than her first run and dropping her behind her teammate, giving Schneider the overall title.
Andreea Grecu, the newly crowned European Cup champion was next, and did not disappoint. The Romanian broke both the start record set by Jamanka and Annika Drazek in 2018 as well as the track record set by Schneider to move into the lead with only Sergeeva to go.
The Russian answered with a 50.97, narrowly missing Grecu’s 50.96 track record but enough to win gold by a mere .02. Grecu took her first ever World Cup medal with a silver, while Schneider finished third.
Jamanka finished fourth, while Christine de Bruin finished fifth and Kati Beierl rounded out the top six.
The ice in Sigulda was fast from the start of the race. Behind Sergeeva’s first run track record time, Mariama Jamanka, Andreea Grecu, Stephanie Schneider, and Christine de Bruin all broke the old track record of 51.28 (Jamanka, Dec. 2018) in the first heat. In the second run, Kati Beierl put down a quick run to also break that previous record.
The United States’ Kaillie Humphries did not enter the race in Sigulda, as she had already made the trip to Altenberg in preparation for next weekend’s World Championships. Their lone men’s team in Europe, piloted by Hunter Church, is also already in Altenberg and will not race this weekend. Great Britain’s Mica McNeill also is in Altenberg to prepare for World Championships.
With her bronze medal, Stephanie Schneider won the Crystal Globe, 38 points ahead of teammate Mariama Jamanka. Christine de Bruin moved into third while Kaillie Humphries finished the season in fourth place despite missing the season finale.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Sergeeva / Mamedova | RUS | 4 | 5.37 | 5.33 | 50.99 | 50.97 | 1:41.96 |
| 2 | Grecu / Gheorghe | ROU | 5 | 5.32 | 5.29 | 51.02 | 50.96 | 1:41.98 |
| 3 | Schneider / Thöne | GER | 9 | 5.38 | 5.34 | 51.06 | 50.97 | 1:42.03 |
| 4 | Jamanka / Nolte | GER | 10 | 5.40 | 5.37 | 51.02 | 51.12 | 1:42.14 |
| 5 | de Bruin / Bujnowski | CAN | 6 | 5.36 | 5.36 | 51.23 | 51.07 | 1:42.30 |
| 6 | Beierl / Onasanya | AUT | 8 | 5.38 | 5.37 | 51.38 | 51.13 | 1:42.51 |
| 7 | Osipenko / Shokshueva | RUS | 3 | 5.47 | 5.45 | 51.47 | 51.33 | 1:42.80 |
| 8 | Chernykh / Belomestnykh | RUS | 13 | 5.41 | 5.40 | 51.50 | 51.33 | 1:42.83 |
| 9 | Fontanive / Pasternack | SUI | 7 | 5.37 | 5.36 | 51.58 | 51.29 | 1:42.87 |
| 10 | Vannieuwenhuyse / van Petegem | BEL | 11 | 5.54 | 5.55 | 51.51 | 51.37 | 1:42.88 |
| 11 | Köhler / Seer | GER | 2 | 5.50 | 5.50 | 51.56 | 51.43 | 1:42.99 |
| 12 | Hasler / Naef | SUI | 1 | 5.47 | 5.45 | 51.63 | 51.40 | 1:43.03 |
| DNS | Boch / Senechal | FRA | 12 | DNS |
