Bobsleigh, Skeleton, and Luge

▪ 2009

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      German bobsleigh pilot André Lange (Lange, Andre ) claimed the 2007–08 World Cup overall titles in both two- and four-man racing, driving to the medals podium at each of the venues on the circuit. Lange amassed a total of 11 medals en route to the world championships in Altenberg, Ger., where he took the gold in both events. In Altenberg, Russian Aleksandr Zubkov also earned podium finishes in both disciplines, winning silver in four-man and bronze in two-man. German driver Matthias Höpfner finished third in four-man, and teammate Thomas Florschütz claimed second in the two-man event.

      Germany's female bobsledders dominated the World Cup circuit, collecting 15 of the overall 24 possible medals. Sandra Kiriasis was clearly the dominant German pilot and won five gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. In addition, Kiriasis won her fifth straight overall World Cup title and her fourth consecutive world championship gold medal. Fellow German pilots Cathleen Martini and Claudia Schramm finished in second and third, respectively, at the world championships.

Skeleton.

      American Katie Uhlaender finished atop the World Cup overall rankings for the second consecutive season in 2007–08. Following up from her six-medal performance in 2006–07, Uhlaender again collected six World Cup medals—four gold, one silver, and one bronze. At the world championships in Altenberg, Uhlaender finished in second place; the gold medal went to Anja Huber of Germany. Fellow German Kerstin Jürgens took third place at the event. Canadian Michelle Kelly was consistent throughout the season, earning a place on the podium five times and finishing second overall in the World Cup standings.

      In men's racing, Kristan Bromley of Great Britain took the top mark in the overall World Cup standings. He won the gold medal at the world championships, ahead of silver medalist Jon Montgomery of Canada, who also trailed behind Bromley in the overall standings. American Zach Lund finished third in the overall rankings.

Julie Parry

Luge.

       Germany's dominance on the women's singles circuit continued throughout the 2007–08 luge season. During the eight-race season, there were only two instances in which Germany did not sweep the medal podium. Germany's Tatjana Hüfner showed her individual dominance as well. Following a disappointing 10th-place finish in the first race at Lake Placid, N.Y., Hüfner won every single World Cup race for the remainder of the season, finishing first in the overall World Cup standings and capturing gold at the world championships. Aiding in Germany's dominance during the season were veteran Silke Kraushaar-Pielach and breakthrough slider Natalie Geisenberger.

      In men's doubles action, Germany's dynamic duo of Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch finished the season on top of the overall World Cup rankings, but the pair failed to medal at the world championships. They were beaten by German teammates André Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich, who won the gold, and Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who claimed the silver medal. Austrian cousins Tobias and Markus Schiegl took the bronze.

      Italian Armin Zöggeler topped the World Cup circuit in men's singles, finishing first or second in every World Cup race except one—a third-place finish in Calgary, Alta.—but he also failed to medal at the world championships, where he placed fifth. Instead, it was the German team that completed a podium sweep; Felix Loch led the charge, followed by David Möller in second and Andi Langenhan in third.

Janele M. Marek

▪ 2008

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      American pilot Steve Holcomb collected five gold and five silver medals in the 2006–07 men's bobsleigh World Cup circuit on his way to winning the overall title and the two-man individual points title and finished second in the four-man standings behind Yevgeny Popov of Russia. Pierre Lueders of Canada and German André Lange ranked second and third overall, respectively. At the 2007 world championships, held in January–February in St. Moritz, Switz., Lange won medals in both disciplines, a gold in two-man and bronze in four-man. Ivo Rueegg of Switzerland took first in four-man and second place in two-man action. Holcomb was fourth in both disciplines.

      During the women's World Cup season, German Sandra Kiriasis earned a podium spot in seven of eight races, including five victories. She also took the gold medal at the world championships. American pilot Shauna Rohbock drove consistently to earn second place in the World Cup standings and a world championship bronze. Cathleen Martini of Germany finished third in the rankings and took silver in St. Moritz.

Skeleton.

      American sliders dominated throughout the 2006–07 skeleton season. Katie Uhlaender found her way consistently to the World Cup podium, earning five gold medals and the overall title. She finished third at the world championships in St. Moritz. Teammate Noelle Pikus-Pace appeared on the World Cup podium five times in eight races to finish second in the overall rankings. In St. Moritz, Pikus-Pace earned her only gold medal of the year, while Maya Pedersen of Switzerland finished second.

      In men's action Americans Zach Lund and Eric Bernotas earned the top two spots in the overall World Cup rankings. Swiss slider Gregor Stähli secured his only win of the season at the world championships, ahead of Bernotas in second place and Lund in third.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

      It was a record-breaking year for Italian luger Armin Zöggeler. Although he was upset by Germany's David Möller at the 2007 world championships, held in Igls, Austria, in February, Zöggeler broke the record for the most career wins on the World Cup circuit, with 36 at season's end, and captured his sixth overall title. Möller finished second in the overall standings, followed by Italian Reinhold Rainer. German Jan Eichhorn raced to the bronze in Igls.

      In men's doubles action, Germans Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch returned to the track in full form and battled with Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber throughout the nine-race World Cup season to eventually capture the overall title. At the world championships the German pair edged out Austrian cousins Tobias and Markus Schiegl for the victory. For the second straight time, Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin won the world championships bronze.

      The German women continued their dominance in both the World Cup standings and the world championships—sweeping the podium in both instances. Silke Kraushaar-Pielach won seven out of nine World Cup races, while teammates Tatjana Hüfner and Anke Wischnewski finished second and third, respectively, in the overall standings. In Igls, Hüfner took the gold medal, beating out Wischnewski and Kraushaar-Pielach, respectively.

Janele Marek

▪ 2007

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

       Germany's André Lange dominated bobsleigh competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, capturing the gold in decisive fashion in both the two- and four-man events. Canada's Pierre Lueders took the silver in the two-man event. In addition, Lueders won the overall World Cup two-man title and finished second overall in the four-man standings. Aleksandr Zubkov of Russia drove his team to the four-man season title and the silver in the four-man event in Turin. Martin Annen of Switzerland won the bronze in both the two- and four-man Olympic races.

       Sandra Kiriasis of Germany finished the year on top of the women's podium at the Olympics and the standings for the overall World Cup title. In Turin, American Shauna Rohbock drove four consistent heats to take the silver medal. She finished in third overall in the World Cup ranks, behind second-place Helen Upperton of Canada. The Olympic bronze medal went to Italian driver Gerda Weissensteiner.

Skeleton.

      The 2005–06 skeleton season was tough for the U.S. team. The 2004–05 champion, Noelle Pikus-Pace, was injured in a freak training accident at the national team trials, and top men's slider Zach Lund was suspended prior to the Olympic Games.

       Canada's Duff Gibson captured the men's Olympic gold. His teammate Jeff Pain took the silver and ended the World Cup season with two straight golds to win the overall title. Gregor Stähli of Germany won the bronze at the Olympics and finished second in the World Cup season rankings. In third place in the World Cup standings was American Eric Bernotas.

      In women's skeleton action, Canadian Mellisa Hollingsworth-Richards gained the World Cup title after finishing on the podium in every race during the 2005–06 season. At the Olympics she took the bronze. The gold medalist in Turin, Maya Pedersen of Switzerland, also had a tremendous World Cup season, earning six medals in seven races to finish second overall. Shelly Rudman of Great Britain won the Olympic silver. Germany's Diana Sartor was third in the World Cup season standings.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

 Italy's Armin Zöggeler continued his dominance in men's luge. He secured the 2006 overall World Cup title by winning half the season races, and at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, he added a new Olympic gold to the one he won in Salt Lake City, Utah, four years earlier. Russian Albert Demchenko, the 2005 overall World Cup champion, finished with the Olympic silver medal. Latvian Martins Rubenis took the Olympic bronze. American Tony Benshoof had a standout World Cup season, racing to four second-place finishes to end the season third overall, just behind Germany's David Möller.

      The German women's team swept the Olympic podium, with Sylke Otto (Otto, Sylke ) (see Biographies) capturing her second gold in as many Games. Silke Kraushaar, the 2006 overall World Cup champion, took the silver in Turin. Tatjana Hüfner completed the podium sweep in both the Olympics and the World Cup standings, finishing with the bronze in each.

      Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger raced to the Olympic gold in doubles, while Germany's André Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich, just three-tenths of a second behind, settled for the silver. Italy's Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder finished in third. In the World Cup standings, German defending champions Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch, Italians Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber, and Florschütz/Wustlich finished first, second, and third, respectively.

Janele M. Urbansky

▪ 2006

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      During the 2004–05 bobsleigh season, three drivers dominated the circuit—Switzerland's Martin Annen, Canadian Pierre Lueders, and Aleksandr Zubkov of Russia. In two-man racing Annen drove consistently throughout the World Cup season, winning three golds and the two-man overall title. He was unable to capture the title at the world championships, held in Calgary, Alta., however, and finished third behind Lueders and second-place André Lange of Germany. In four-man action Zubkov medaled in six of seven races; he failed to medal only on the track built for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The Russian claimed the World Cup overall four-man title, but he failed in his quest to win the four-man race at the world championships in Calgary, where he finished second to Lange. Lueders earned third place.

      In women's bobsleigh Germany dominated, medaling in every race on the circuit and taking the top three spots for the overall World Cup season title. Sandra Prokoff Kiriasis led the charge for the Germans, winning five races and the overall title, as well as the gold medal at the world championships. Cathleen Martini, at the helm of Germany 3, finished the World Cup season in second place overall, with Susi-Lisa Erdmann, driving Germany 2, taking third place. At the world championships British driver Nicola Minichiello and American Shauna Rohbock finished in second and third, respectively.

Skeleton.

 American Noelle Pikus-Pace, in her second season on the World Cup skeleton circuit, surprised the world by winning the overall title for the 2004–05 season. Pikus-Pace collected three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal on the tour and finished the season with a silver medal at the world championships in Calgary. Maya Pedersen of Switzerland was second in the overall World Cup standings but won gold in Calgary. Michelle Kelly of Canada took third place at the world championships.

      In men's skeleton Jeff Pain of Canada started and ended the season on top of the podium. Pain earned one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals on his way to the World Cup overall title. Pain, who lived in Calgary, also slid to the gold medal in the world championships on his home track. American Chris Soule had a strong season and finished second in the overall standings. In third place for the overall title was Canadian Duff Gibson, who also earned bronze at the world championships, behind silver medalist Gregor Stähli of Switzerland.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

      Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber of Italy captured the 2004–05 overall World Cup luge doubles title. A win in the eighth race of the season gave them enough total points for the title; the final race, scheduled to be held on the 2006 Olympic track in Turin, was canceled for safety concerns. Perennial leaders Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany, sidelined for most of the season, returned to win two of the final three World Cup races and the silver medal at the 2005 world championships in Park City, Utah, behind their teammates André Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich. Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin finished third in Park City.

      Italy's Armin Zöggeler raced to his fifth world championship victory, but the surprise men's singles World Cup winner was Russian Albert Demtschenko, who earned gold in half the season's races to capture the overall title. Georg Hackl and David Möller of Germany finished silver and bronze, respectively, in both the world championships and the World Cup standings.

      Germans dominated women's luge. Sylke Otto added another world championship title to her collection, with Barbara Niedernhuber and Anke Wischnewski in second and third, respectively. In the World Cup standings, Niedernhuber captured gold, Silke Kraushaar won the silver, and Otto took bronze.

Janele M. Urbansky

▪ 2005

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      In bobsleigh no country was more assertive during the 2003–04 season than Germany. After finishing first in four-man and third overall in two-man competition for the season, driver André Lange easily won the World Cup combined points title. Fellow German Christoph Langen captured the two-man season points title. Lange also steered his four-man sled to a gold medal at the 2004 world championships in Königssee, Ger., with Langen's crew taking the silver. After winning the two-man gold medal at the world championships, Canadian Pierre Lueders took second in the two-man and overall season standings. After driving his four-man sled to a bronze medal at the world championships, American Todd Hays finished third overall in the combined drivers standing.

      German drivers Sandra Prokoff and Susi Erdmann battled for six of the eight women's World Cup races during the season; neither competed in the last two races. Despite contending only six races, Prokoff easily finished at the top of the overall standings. American Jean Racine finished second in the season rankings, and Erdmann took third. In the women's world championships, Erdmann edged Prokoff for the gold medal, with Racine in third place.

Skeleton.

      In men's skeleton action, British slider Kristan Bromley won four of five World Cup races and finished atop the World Cup rankings. Canadian Duff Gibson finished second in overall season rankings and won the gold medal at the skeleton world championships in Königssee, with Germans Florian Grassi and Frank Kleber finishing second and third, respectively.

      On the women's side, Canadian sliders Lindsay Alcock and Michelle Kelly had another great season. Alcock collected two gold and two silver medals on the five-race circuit, as well as a silver at the world championships, and finished atop the season standings. Kelly won one silver and three bronze to finish third overall for the season. German Diana Sartor won world championship gold and finished second overall in the World Cup rankings.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

      In 2003–04 Germany's Sylke Otto again dominated the luge World Cup circuit, winning five of the eight races and becoming the only women's singles slider to have won four overall titles. The world championships, held in Nagano, Japan, in February, handed Otto her lowest finish of the season, third, while her teammates Silke Kraushaar and Barbara Niedernhuber finished first and second, respectively.

      Armin Zöggeler of Italy finished the men's World Cup season atop the podium only to slide to a disappointing fourth place finish at the world championships. Germany's Georg Hackl placed second in the overall World Cup standings and in Nagano finished just eight-thousandths of a second behind teammate David Möller, who captured the gold. Möller also improved his overall World Cup finish to third.

      Germany's doubles team of Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch raced to the world championships gold medal and the overall World Cup title. The American duo of Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin were sidelined for four races owing to injury, so the window was thus opened for Andre Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich of Germany to capture the silver in both competitions. Grimmette and Martin finished with the world championship bronze, while Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber took third in the overall World Cup standings.

Janele M. Urbansky

▪ 2004

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      The 2002–03 bobsleigh season belonged to the Germans, who dominated the World Cup circuit and the world championships. The men's world championships were held in Lake Placid, N.Y., in February 2003. German drivers André Lange and René Spies battled it out all season, with Lange winning three World Cup four-man events and the overall four-man crown. Lange also drove his crew to gold in the four-man competition at the world championships, where driver Todd Hays of the U.S. took the silver. Lange and Kevin Kuske won the two-man world championship race. Pierre Lueders of Canada won the two-man World Cup season title, just two points ahead of Spies.

      German driver Sandra Prokoff dominated the women's circuit, winning five of eight World Cup events during the 2002–03 season and the World Cup title. Teammate Susi Erdmann collected seven medals on the World Cup circuit and finished second in overall standings. Americans Jean Racine, who finished eighth overall, and Jill Bakken battled injuries throughout the season. At the women's world championships in Winterberg, Ger., Erdmann led the Germans to a sweep of the podium, with Prokoff in a close second. Racine and Vonetta Flowers, in sixth place, were the top Americans.

Skeleton.

      On the skeleton World Cup circuit, Canadian Jeff Pain and American Chris Soule each won two of the six races. Soule proved the overall victor and became only the second American (after Lincoln DeWitt in 2000–01) to win the World Cup season title. Pain finished in second. At the world championships in Nagano, Japan, heavy snow hampered the race, which was shortened from four to three heats. Pain took the gold, with Soule in second place and American Brady Canfield in third.

      Canadians Lindsay Alcock and Michelle Kelly dueled throughout the year, with Kelly taking the women's World Cup title by two points. American Tristan Gale finished third. Gale also collected a bronze medal at the 2003 skeleton world championships. Kelly won the event, beating the second-place Yekaterina Mironova of Russia by nearly 1.5 seconds.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

      Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin finished in the top two spots in five of seven races to capture the overall luge World Cup title. Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany finished a close second, with Austrians Tobias Schiegl and Markus Schiegl third. At the 2003 world championships in Sigulda, Latvia, Austria's Andreas Linger and Wolfgang Linger won the doubles gold, followed by Schiegl and Schiegl. Leitner and Resch battled with Grimmette and Martin for the bronze, eventually winning the medal by three-hundredths of a second.

      Markus Kleinheinz of Austria unexpectedly captured the men's singles World Cup title. Germany's Georg Hackl, who won four of the seven season races, finished five points behind. Armin Zöggeler of Italy raced to the bronze medal overall and won his third straight gold at the world championships. American Adam Heidt battled into fourth place at the world championships.

      After winning six out of seven World Cup races, Germany's Sylke Otto captured her third straight world championship gold and the overall World Cup title. Her teammates Silke Kraushaar and Barbara Niedernhuber finished second and third, respectively, in both the World Cup and the world championships.

Janele Hinman

▪ 2003

Introduction

Bobsleigh.

      American bobsleigh driver Todd Hays and his crew began the 2001–02 season with three consecutive gold medals on the World Cup circuit before returning to the U.S. to prepare for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Taking full advantage of the Americans' absence, Swiss teams led by Martin Annen went on to clinch both the two- and four-man World Cup season titles decisively.

      At the Winter Games, the Germans won gold in both the two- and four-man competitions. Christoph Langen and teammate Markus Zimmermann took the two-man gold, while André Lange drove his four-man sled to victory. In four-man action, the U.S. men broke their 46-year Olympic medal drought by claiming the silver and bronze medals. Hays led his team to the silver, and five-time Olympian Brian Shimer's team took the bronze.

      In women's action, German drivers dominated World Cup competition, with Susi Erdmann edging out Sandra Prokoff for the season title. American driver Jean Racine finished in third place in the drivers' standings.

      With all eyes on the inaugural women's bobsleigh competition at the Winter Games, Americans Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers surprised the field and broke the track record on their way to the gold medal. Prokoff and Ulrike Holzner broke the push record and took the silver medal. Erdmann and Nicole Herschmann captured the bronze.

Skeleton.

      The 2001–02 men's skeleton season was dominated by Gregor Stähli of Switzerland. He went undefeated in the first four of five total World Cup races and finished first in season standings. American Chris Soule edged Stähli in the season finale in Switzerland; it was Soule's first career World Cup win. Soule ranked second for the season, and Martin Rettl of Austria took third place overall.

      In women's skeleton, each World Cup race produced a different winner. The most consistent slider was Great Britain's Alex Coomber, who was eventually crowned World Cup season champion.

      At the Winter Games, American sliders dominated the two-heat races, collecting three of the six medals in the sport, which returned to Olympic competition after a 54-year hiatus. Third-generation Olympian Jim Shea, Jr., slid to victory in heavy snow. (See Biographies (Shea, Jim, Jr. ).) Tristan Gale and Lea Ann Parsley went 1–2 in the women's race.

Julie Urbansky

Luge.

      The 2001–02 World Cup season proved to be a remarkable one for the German team. In women's singles action, Germany dominated every race, with Silke Kraushaar capturing the overall World Cup gold medal. Another German slider, Sylke Otto, placed second overall. Barbara Niedernhuber finished the World Cup competition in third place, completing the sweep for the German team. Germany also swept the women's singles podium at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Otto led the way, followed by Niedernhuber and Kraushaar, who won the silver and bronze, respectively.

      In men's action, Austria's Markus Prock won the overall World Cup gold medal, followed by Italy's Armin Zöggeler and Germany's Georg Hackl. The Olympic competition was a showdown of these top three sliders. Hackl fell to Zöggeler in an action-packed men's singles race but became the first Winter Olympian ever to win five consecutive Olympic medals. Prock slid to the bronze medal.

      In doubles action, Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany raced to the Olympic gold. Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, the defending 1998 Olympic bronze medalists, blazed the last run to take the silver medal. Fellow Americans Chris Thorpe and Clay Ives won the bronze.

Janele M. Hinman

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