Humphries’ track record wins World Cup Park City monobobsled

Beijing 2022 Olympic gold medalist Kaillie Humphries of Team USA winning Park City's World Cup monobob setting a new track record. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Friday, Day 2, did not disappoint fans at the BMW Bobsled World Cup in Park City who were there to marvel at Kaillie Humphries sliding prowess. Now representing the USA for where she’s won Olympic gold, Humphries also previously won Olympic bronze for Canada and gold, twice.

Results:

Monobob:

1. USA, Kaillie Humphries, 1:42.93 TRACK RECORD
2. GER, Liza Buckwitz, 1:43.24 (+0.31)
3. CAN, Cynthia Appiah, 1:43.26 (+0.33)

Next American placings: 8th and 9th.

2-Man Bobsled: 

The nation of Trinidad and Tobago had a sport-debut circuit race.

1. GER, Franchesco Friedrich/Thorsten Margis, 1:35.82
2. GBR, Brad Hall/Taylor Lawrence, 1:36.08 (+0.26)
3. SUI, Michael Vogt/Michel Sandro, 1:39.14 (+0.32)

USA placings: 7th and 10th.

Five-time Olympian Brian Shimer has been a USA Bobsled coach for about 20 years. He told TownLift exclusively, “It’s great to back here at our beautiful Park City home after so many years between World Cups. To have the Europeans here in our own backyard and looking to us as the team to beat is truly exciting. The UOP track crew once again has this ice absolutely gleaming.” Talk turned to a Park City 2030/34 Olympic bid, to which Shimer, who won his bobsled bronze right here in the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics said, “That sure would be a storybook ending to my coaching career.”

Like any sport, home field for bobsledding has more than one advantage. For gold medalist from the Beijing 2022 Olympics Kaillie Humphries, perhaps having her dog Duchess relaxing in the locker room with her husband might have been just the good luck charm she may, or may not have needed to win her race. 

Upon hearing announcer Carl Roepke rhetorically asking over the P.A. where Humphries found that winning half second, local athletes Kaysha Love and Rylie Mathews rhetorically answered aloud, to nobody but each other, in awe and in support of their friend and teammate, “She’s Kallie Humphries, that what she does.”

The six perpendicular feet across, from one side of the track start ramp to the other, was the perfect place for the Moms of Texas slider Nicole Vogt and Illinois slider Riley Compton to serendipitously meet each other for the first time, briefly, before focussing their collective energy towards exuberantly cheering theirs and each other’s athletes on.

Among the global circuit’s unsung entourage is Andreas Richter, here from Germany, his appearance at this event bittersweet. Retiring from Swiss Timing this season, he’s saying ‘auf wiedersehen’ to Park City friends and colleagues whom he’s sat next to up in the track Control Tower starting at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics and every Olympics since, including every international Utah Olympic Park sliding competition.

Day 3, Saturday, December 3, is the final day of this World Cup stop.

Saturday Schedule:

• 9:30 a.m. 2-Women Bobsled
• 1:30 p.m. 4-Man Bobsled

The Utah Olympic Park Winter Festival Area will have food trucks, hot chocolate, a beer garden and event merchandise available.

Entrance into and spectating for the World Cup are free to the public.

Video: 2nd place athlete Liza Buckwitz