Skeleton: World Champion Lölling wins in Whistler

World champion Jacqueline Lölling has secured Germany’s skeleton athletes their first victory in the Olympic winter.

On Friday, the 22-year-old won the World Cup on the infamous track in Whistler, Canada, ahead of local heroine Jane Channell and vice world champion Tina Hermann (Königssee). Despite a wild ride with numerous wall contacts in the second run, Lölling had a lead of more than two tenths of a second on Channell.

“You always have to be highly concentrated here. I’ve seen that it can go really well into my pants,”said Lölling about the second run:”Thank God it went well again. I’ve had mistakes that haven’t happened to me all week.”

With her victory in the third race of the season, she underscored her favourites status for the winter games in Pyeongchang (9th place). till 25. February) and also took over the overall World Cup lead ahead of Hermann.

Anna Fernstädt (Berchtesgaden) finished the season’s first World Cup with a good sixth place on the fastest track in the world. Only a few days ago, the 20-year-old had taken over the squad from Sophia Griebel (Suhl), who was unable to convince in the first two World Cups.

Fernstädt will be competing in the upcoming races due to their strong performance in Whistler and will be competing for the Olympic Games.

Jelena Nikitina, winner of the previous race in Park City/USA, was not allowed to start in Whistler. Last Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee expressed its opposition to four Russian skeletonis because of their involvement in the state doping scandal and lifelong Olympic suspensions.

On Thursday, the bobsleigh and skeleton federation IBSF reacted with the temporary suspension of the athletes. Nikitina, who must return her bronze medal from Sochi in 2014, is not eligible for participation in the World Cup at least until a hearing at the IBSF.

Alexander Tretyakov, who was deprived of his Olympic victory in 2014, will also be missing from the men’s race on Saturday. Olga Potylizina and Maria Orlowa, the other two Russian women affected, had not yet started at World Cup level this winter.