Canadians Kripps, Stones take fourth place in World Cup two-man bobsleigh competition

KONIGSSEE, GERMANY – Canadians Justin Kripps and Cam Stones were fourth Saturday in a World Cup two-man bobsleigh competition.

Kripps, of Summerland, B.C., and Stones, of Oshawa, Ont., finished with a combined time of one minute 39.84 seconds. Austrians Ben Maier and Kristian Huber were third in 1:39.65.

“I think we executed well,” Kripps said. “I was happy with my driving and our pushes, but we just don’t really have the setup (runners) for this kind of warm weather so I think we were a bit behind on the equipment today unfortunately,.”

Germany’s Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis finished first in 1:38.69. Compatriots Johannes Lochner and Eric Franke were second in 1:38.89.

Calgary’s Chris Spring and Ottawa’s Mike Evelyn were 10th in 1:40.14.

Melissa Lotholz of Barnhead, Alta., was fifth in her World Cup monobob race debut in 1:47.86.

“Overall, I’m really happy with today,” she said. “Coming into the race, we really didn’t know how we would stack up against the top girls at the push and the finish line so I’m happy to see that I was right there with them at the top and bottom of the track,.”

Christine De Bruin, of Stony Plain, Alta., was seventh (1:47.93) while Toronto’s Cynthia Appiah was 11th (1:48.43). Appiah not only posted the fastest start time in both heats but also moved the start record in Konigssee to 5:38.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2021.