For the first time in her career, bobsleigh driver Anna Köhler has reached a World Cup podium. Already in the sixth race of her debut season, the 24-year-old finished third on Saturday in Altenberg with pusher Annika Drazek, while Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries (Canada) and second-placed Jamie Greubel Poser from the USA were the fastest. Mariama Jamanka finished fifth with Ann-Christin Strack five weeks before the Winter Games.
But the difficult track in Altenberg also caused some anxiety this winter. The German Olympic hopeful Stephanie Schneider (Oberbärenburg), surprise winner of the recent World Cups in Winterberg and Igls, crashed heavily in the first run, did not finish the race regularly and was not allowed to contest the second run.
Far before the finish line, the heavy bobsleigh had been tipped over, pushing star Lisa Buckwitz was soon unable to hold her sled at high speed and fell out. The bobsleigh slipped headfirst with Schneider into the valley. Both athletes were spared from injuries.
This is important in view of Olympia in Pyeongchang (9. till 25. February). All three German women have already met the national standard, but only two places on the grid are currently secure. You may go to Jamanka and Schneider. If Germany ranks among the top two nations in the World Cup, the team is allowed to travel to South Korea with three starters. In the close race with the USA and Canada, Schneider’s failure at Altenberg was a setback in this respect.
National coach Rene Spies has already declared a women’s medal as a high goal for the Olympic Games prior to the season. The Humphries, Greubel Poser and Elana Meyers Taylor (USA), who have been dominating for years, are to be attacked. Meyers Taylor also had big problems with the track in Altenberg, crashed during practice, lost a lot of time in the first race and finished eleventh.