Unlike yesterday where weather played a role in the skeleton World Cup race, conditions were more favorable for racing today.

“The ice conditions are great and the track is in very good shape,” U.S. women’s bobsled coach Sepp Plozza said. “Usually the track slows down after a couple of sleds take their runs, but the track stayed very fast through the heat.”

Germans Sandra Kiriasis and Anja Schneiderh Stoeckel posted a first run time of 54.01, two-tenths ahead of the Americans Rohbock and Fleming.  Only 0.03 behind the Americans was the second German sled of Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer with a run of 54.24. 

“Shauna had a problem exiting corner nine in the first run,” Plozza said. “It cost her a little bit of time.”

Martini and Tischer were first of the top three sleds to take a second run, finishing in 54.08, second best in the heat, for a combined time of 1:48.32. 

Next were Rohbock and Fleming, who tied the Swiss team of Maya Bamert and Anne Dietrich for the fastest start time of the day with a 5.65 push.  Maintaining speed from start to finish, Rohbock posted the fastest time of the day on the second run with a 53.92, just one-tenth away from the track record.  Finishing with a combined time of 1:48.13, the Americans could only watch and wait as Kiriasis and Schneiderh Sctoeckel took their run to see who would claim the gold.

Kiriasis and Schneiderh Sctoeckel had a second run of 54.09, third best in the heat, for a combined time of 1:48.10.

“Shauna fixed her problem in nine, and she was faster,” Plozza said.  “She had the fastest down time, but she lost by only three one-hundredths of a second.”

The second American team of Pac and Azevedo battled first-time nerves as Pac, a previous push athlete, made her World Cup driving debut and Azevedo competed in her first-ever World Cup race.  The team had runs of 54.78 and 54.54 for a combined time of 1:49.32, placing them in tenth.

“Erin and Emily were both a little nervous, but they had good push times.  Erin also had a mistake out of nine in both runs, but I am very happy with how Erin and Emily finished in their first race,” Plozza said.

After today’s race, Rohbock remains second in overall World Cup standings with 440 points, only ten points behind the German leader Cathleen Martini.  After competing in her first race, Pac is ranked seventeenth overall with 45 points.

The Igls, Austria World Cup bobsled race will be televised nationally on SPEED Channel today, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. EST.  For complete results of today’s race, visit www.bobsleigh.com, the Web site of the Fédération International de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganning (FIBT).

RESULTS:

1. Sandra Kiriasis and Anja Schneiderh Stoeckel (GER1) 1:48.10 (54.01, 54.09); 2. Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming (USA1) 1:48.13 (54.21, 53.92); 3. Cathleen Martini and Janine Tischer (GER2) 1:48.32 (54.24, 54.08); 4. Helen Upperton and Jaime Cruickshank (CAN1) 1:48.53 (54.33, 54.20); 5. Jessica Gillarduzzi and Fabiana Mollica (ITA1) 1:48.71 (54.37, 54.34); 6. Susi-Lisa Erdmann and Nicole Herschmann (GER3) 1:48.85 (54.44, 54.41);…10. Erin Pac and Emily Azevedo (USA2) 1:49.32 (54.78, 54.54);