A poor start in her third run was enough to distance Christine de Bruin from the lead pack and eventually leave the Canadian and brakewoman Kristen Bujnowski off the medal podium in Olympic bobsleigh on Saturday.
They rebounded with a quicker start in the fourth and final run but recorded a slower finish, placing fifth in a combined time of four minutes 6.37 seconds in the two-woman event at Yanqing National Sliding Centre.
“I’m just really proud of us. This experience really shows we’re a strong team,” de Bruin of Stony Plain, Alta., told CBC Sports. “If one of us messed up, it didn’t matter, [we] just [kept] going at it. We’re fighters, and that’s nice.”
De Bruin, 32, was nearly a second behind fellow pilot Elana Meyers Taylor of the United States, who clocked 4:05.48 for bronze with first-time Olympian Sylvia Hoffman and collected her fourth career medal in the event.
Meyers Taylor is now the most decorated Black Winter Olympian after capturing monobob silver on Monday. Five medals is two more than any other Olympic bobsledder, male or female, has won for the U.S.
“That is overwhelming,” the 37-year-old said. “It’s so crazy to hear that stat and know that I’m part of a legacy that’s bigger than me.”
Germany’s Laura Nolte won gold in 4:03.96, followed by teammate Mariama Jamanka (4:04.73), the 2018 Olympic champion.
German Laura Nolte captures bobsleigh gold in Olympic debut
4 hours ago
Duration 4:05
The 23-year-old and partner Deborah Levi took home the gold medal with 0.77 second margin of victory. 4:05
Germany now has eight gold in nine events and 14 medals overall in the three sliding sports at the Beijing Olympics. The Germans will likely add to that on the final day since they have the top two sleds at the midpoint of the four-man competition that will end Sunday. They already have more gold, and more medals, in sliding events than any nation ever has at any Olympics.
American Kaillie Humphries, who won two-woman Olympic gold sliding for Canada in 2010 and 2014, was seventh on Saturday in 4:07.04 after winning Monday’s monobob, which made its Winter Games debut in China.
Humphries reportedly was battling a right leg injury that adversely impacted her start times with Olympic rookie Kaysha Love.
“It hurts, I won’t lie,” Humphries said. “I gave every ounce of everything I had to the last two days and it wasn’t there. We can’t be fearful of not being the best.”
Humphries plans to miss the next one or two seasons to start a family and insisted Saturday she would race at one final Olympics in 2026.
Toronto native Cynthia Appiah (4:07.52) finished eighth after starting the day in that position while Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., climbed four spots to 12th in a time of 4:08.37 with Sara Villani.
A tough third run by de Bruin extended to Appiah, who cleaned up some early mistakes and had a good entrance into the 12th of 16 corners before avoiding serious injury after hitting the left wall and tipping her sled.
WATCH | Appiah crashes in 3rd run coming out of 13th curve:
Canada’s Appiah suffers crash during 3rd run of Olympic bobsleigh event
6 hours ago
Duration 1:50
Canada’s Cynthia Appiah and brakewoman Dawn Richardson Wilson crash during their third run of the 2-woman bobsleigh event at Beijing 2022. 1:50
Appiah, who exited the sled under her own power along with brakewoman Dawn Richardson Wilson, was given a 1:01.95 finish time.
Appiah also hit the wall in the same spot, coming out of the 13th curve, in her final run but had a clean finish to her Olympic debut after being an alternate four years ago. The 31-year-old former track and field athlete was ready to quit bobsleigh after leaving Pyeongchang, South Korea, but pressed on and transitioned to being a pilot on the track.
“This is where I was supposed to be” ????<br><br>Olympic bobsled debutant, Dawn Richardson-Wilson on what it means to represent more than just your country on the world’s largest stage <br><br>WATCH ‘Being Black in Canada at the Olympic Games’: <a href=”https://t.co/VybzDnfc5u”>https://t.co/VybzDnfc5u</a> <a href=”https://t.co/fswcheXULJ”>pic.twitter.com/fswcheXULJ</a>
Meanwhile, de Bruin and Bujnowski couldn’t make up for slowness at the top of the track in their third run. Their last run in Beijing included a faster start, a hit wall on the ninth curve and too much height on others.
Earlier this season, Graham Richardson, team manager and technical driver coach for Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, noticed improved physical ability from the duo.
“Christine had a tendency when running fast behind the sled to have a shorter stride length that would kill her velocity,” Richardson said of de Bruin, who placed seventh with Lotholz at the 2018 Olympics after missing the 2014 Games with a back injury. “In her general training, she’s worked at making sure the steps are more powerful. Her start times are getting better but, more importantly, the velocity’s getting better.
“Christine knows when to get in the sled to let Buj accelerate. It’s so technically difficult to get into the sled [to] add velocity, but working with Jamie McCartney, our push coach, they have improved a great deal.”
However, a 5.51-second start in the third run was de Bruin and Bujnowski’s downfall on Saturday as Meyers Taylor set a start record of 5.30 to extend her lead over the Canadians to 72-100ths of a second.
De Bruin and Bujnowski were quicker off the start in the fourth run (5.45-5.35) but too far behind Meyers Taylor, who topped this season’s World Cup standings.
WATCH | 5th-place de Bruin improves 2 spots from 2018 Olympics:
Canadian Christine de Bruin places 5th in 2-woman bobsleigh
4 hours ago
Duration 2:12
de Bruin and partner Kristen Bujnowski finished just under one second off the podium at Beijing 2022. 2:12
Bujnowski said she learned more about herself at these Games and how to better handle stressful situations.
“I feel really confident going forward and racing because I think we can accomplish a lot,” said Bujnowski, while de Bruin nodded in approval.
We can look at each other and know what we’re thinking. The communication is strong, and we really are a team.— Canadian bobsleigh pilot Christine de Bruin
Talk of de Bruin and Bujnowski as serious medal contenders at these Games increased after they earned four bronze in eight World Cup starts this season to follow a bronze performance at a Beijing test event in October.
The world’s fourth-ranked tandem clicked early following the return of Bujnowski, who sat out last season because of COVID-19 restrictions after straining her right calf. The 29-year-old from Mount Brydges, Ont., showed little rust in lowering the women’s push record to 5.36 seconds at Calgary’s Ice House before the Olympic test event.
De Bruin and Bujnowski had a 2018-19 breakthrough season featuring two World Cup silver and world championship bronze. A year later, they added another World Cup silver and world bronze.
“We can look at each other and know what we’re thinking,” de Bruin said. “The communication is strong, and we really are a team. It’s not just the pilot telling the brakeman what to do.”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:*510w)
