Blanco Wins 1st Career Para Sport World Cup Gold

From Lake Placid, USA

(November 23, 2021) – Israel Blanco has been sliding parabobsled in the Para Sport World Cup as long as there has been a Para Sport World Cup, starting in the very first race in Igls in January of 2015. Over that time he’s been on seven tracks across the world and has competed in 32 World Cup events (as well as five World Championships). In the second race of the 2021/2022 Para Sport World Cup season Blanco finally struck gold, winning in Lake Placid.

The Spanish slider sat in second after the first heat, trailing Great Britain’s Corie Mapp by just .06. On the second run Mapp ran into trouble halfway down the Lake Placid course, which gave the United States’ Steven Jacobo the lead with only Blanco to go. On the second run Blanco was into the lead by the first split and the rest of his run was as good as it needed to be to take gold by .26 over Jacobo for his first career IBSF gold medal.

Blanco’s gold was his fourth career medal. His previous best was a silver in Lillehammer, while his most recent medal was in Park City during the 2019/2020 season.

Jacobo took silver, .05 ahead of teammate and Race 1 gold medalist Robert Balk.

Mapp finished fourth, .11 out of the medals, while Jonas Frei of Switzerland and Guillermo Castillo of the United States rounded out the top six.

Canada’s Lonnie Bissonette finished seventh.

Results:

Pos	Name	Nation	Bib	Start 1	Start 2	Run 1	Run 2	Finish
1	Israel Blanco	ESP	3	6.86	6.86	60.41	60.75	2:01.16
2	Steven Jacobo	USA	10	6.80	6.82	60.54	60.88	2:01.42
3	Robert Balk	USA	1	6.84	6.86	60.47	61.00	2:01.47
4	Corie Mapp	GBR	8	6.82	6.85	60.35	61.23	2:01.58
5	Jonas Frei	SUI	2	6.84	6.84	60.71	61.16	2:01.87
6	Guillermo Castillo	USA	5	6.85	6.86	61.07	61.06	2:02.13
7	Lonnie Bissonnette	CAN	7	6.84	6.86	60.87	61.65	2:02.52
8	Chistopher Stewart	SUI	9	6.83	6.84	61.47	61.13	2:02.60
9	Ziva Lavrinc	SLO	6	6.83	6.83	61.34	61.28	2:02.62
10	Michael Stevens	RSA	4	6.79	6.78	61.76	61.74	2:03.50