A moment of shock for the German bobsleigh team: two-man bobsleigh pilot Laura Nolte fell heavily while lying on bronze in run three, but was uninjured. Lisa Buckwitz had to give up her lead.
That’s it with the dream of a German triple triumph at the World Championships in two-man bobsleigh. After the second of four races in St. Moritz, it still looked like the German women would get the full set of medals. After run three it doesn’t look like it anymore.
The previously leading Lisa Buckwitz lost her lead and is now third in the final fourth run. At the same time ahead of her are her teammate Kim Kalicki and the American Kaillie Humphries, who set the fastest time in the third run. Buckwitz’ gap to the leading duo is 0.11 seconds – so there’s still something in it.
Nolte’s medal dream burst
For two-man bobsleigh Olympic champion Laura Nolte, the World Championships even ended prematurely. The 24-year-old from Winterberg fell early in the third of a total of four races and slid down with her bobsled on her back. Luckily Nolte and her brakewoman Neele Schuten were uninjured. As in the final training session, Nolte drove out of the well-known “Horse-Shoe” curve too early, then got too much pressure and fell again in the same place.
“The team is fine“, said the railway spokesman and gave the all-clear. Thomas Schwab, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bobsleigh and Sled Association for Germany (BSD), was relieved after the women were able to get out of the sled themselves: “We always hold our breath, but it ended well.” After the training crash, the duo was “with pain in left side” started, Nolte had said. She had asked for the “security line” in the first run as a third-placed player at half-time in the World Cup still had a chance of winning gold.
Room slips off
For Maureen Zimmer, who had surprised on the first day with a strong performance and meanwhile sixth place, could not confirm this performance in race three. She slipped down to tenth place.