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Holcomb Crowned Combined World Cup Champion
By Amanda Bird // U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation // February 25, 2007
KÖNIGSSEE, Germany—Two-man bobsled World Cup champion Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) won his second consecutive silver medal today, just 0.09 seconds from the gold, at the four-man bobsled World Cup finale in Königssee, Germany, solidifying his second overall rank in four-man standings. Holcomb won ten medals this season, five each in two and four-man competitions, making him the combined points World Cup champion.
“It’s a true honor to be combined champion, because it means we dominated in both the two and four-man,” Holcomb said. “Sweeping the gold medals at Cortina, Italy hasn’t even sunk in yet, and that was weeks ago. I think it’ll take some time before I realize what I accomplished.”
Teaming with Pavle Jovanovic (Tom’s River, N.J.), Steve Mesler (Calgary, Alberta) and Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, Ohio), Holcomb had one of the fastest push crews in the world, a technologically advanced Bo-Dyn sled, and the driving skills to make his best effort for the four-man title.
Entering today’s race, Holcomb was seventy points from four-man leader Evgeni Popov of Russia. In order for Holcomb to take the lead, two things needed to happen: Popov would have to not finish the race, and Holcomb would have to place at least fourth.
In the first heat, Popov crashed near the finish, still crossing the timing eye, giving him a time of 49.24, nineteenth best of the heat.
“We were at the start joking and discussing that if Popov crashed, we would have a chance at taking the title,” Holcomb said. “None of us thought it was a possibility, but then Popov crashed at the finish and we were like, ‘Oh my God.’ It got real serious real quick, motivating us to get out there and win.”
Pierre Lueders of Canada had the fastest run of the heat, a 48.69, with Holcomb only 0.04 seconds behind with a run of 48.73. Latvia’s Minins was third with a time of 48.78.
Eager to claim the title, Popov kept his sled on all four runners through the finish, asserting his overall victory with the fastest time of the second heat, a 48.71, for a combined time of 1:37.95. Despite being out of medal contention in the race, placing ninth today, Popov was crowned four-man World Cup champion.
Lueders claimed gold today with a combined time of 1:37.41 after a second run of 48.72. Holcomb finished just 0.09 seconds behind Lueders for the silver, finishing with a total time of 1:37.50 after a second run time of 48.77. Minins maintained his third position, finishing with a time of 1:37.54.
“I’m up there now with the big guys, and I have the confidence after this season to believe that I can compete with them and win,” Holcomb said. “I wanted to win, but to lose by hundredths of a second against one of the best drivers in the world really isn’t a loss. I’m really happy with my results this season, and now it’s time to start thinking about next year.”
U.S. four-man National Champion Grayson Fertig (Oxford, Conn.) teamed with Jesse Beckom III (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Tim O’Mara (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Theron Johnson (Wheaton, Md.) for an eighteenth place finish after runs of 49.44 and 49.14, finishing with a combined time of 1:38.58. After competing in only three World Cup events, Fertig is ranked twenty-fifth in four-man standings with 83 points, and twenty-fifth in combined with 127 points.
Popov claimed the four-man title with 685 points. Holcomb was only twenty-five points behind in second with 660. In third is Lueders with 595 points.
Competing in only four World Cup races this season, U.S. two-man National Champion Mike Kohn is ranked fifteenth with 171 points, while teammate Stephan Bosch, who competed in three events, is ranked twenty-first with 111 points.
In combined standings, Holcomb was crowned overall champion with 1320 points. Lueders finished second with 1255, and Andre Lange of Germany finished third with 1040.
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