Double gold is difficult, but doable, according to Canadian bobsled pilot Justin Kripps.
Canada has never won both two-man and four-man gold at a single world championship. In fact, a Canadian crew hasnB次元官网网址檛 won a world four-man title since 1965.
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But Kripps has his reasons to feel optimistic when he steps to the start line Friday, and not the least of which is the host Canadian bob team has a significant home-track advantage in Whistler, B.C.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got to win, thatB次元官网网址檚 the goal,B次元官网网址� Kripps told The Canadian Press. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what we want. Two and four. I think we have a good shot in both. We just need to execute.B次元官网网址�
His talent driving two-man sleds is established.
The 32-year-old from Summerland, B.C., and brakeman Alex Kopacz tied Germans Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis for Olympic two-man gold in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
The Canadian duo finished atop the overall World Cup standings in 2018 in that discipline. Kripps and Jesse Lumsden earned world championship silver in 2017.
But Kripps posted a breakout first World Cup victory in four-man Feb. 17 in Lake Placid, N.Y., with crewmen Cam Stones of Whitby, Ont., SaskatoonB次元官网网址檚 Ben Coakwell and Ryan Sommer of White Rock, B.C.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 pretty huge for us to win in the four-man,B次元官网网址� Kripps said. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 get as much success in four-man as we do in two-man. A lot more moving parts to the whole thing.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 more difficult to get everything together to the point where you can actually win a race or contend for medals. You have extra guys, thereB次元官网网址檚 more people jumping into the sled and it seems the equipment is a little more elusive.B次元官网网址�
The world championships opening Friday include womenB次元官网网址檚 bobsled and menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 skeleton before closing March 9.
Twenty-two Canadians will race bobsled and another five will compete in skeleton.
OttawaB次元官网网址檚 Mirela Rahneva has momentum in womenB次元官网网址檚 skeleton. The 30-year-old won two of her last four World Cup races and placed second in the season-finale Saturday in Calgary.
Bobsleigh Skeleton Canada high-performance director Chris Le Bihan says the host team is capable of multiple medals across all disciplines.
International bob teams are less familiar and comfortable with the Whistler track, built just over a decade ago, than they are with CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 33-year-old facility, he said.
The Canadians get more time on the Whistler track than other national teams. ItB次元官网网址檚 a fast, technical course demanding precision at high speeds, while CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 is a slower course requiring patience and finesse.
Kripps describes WhistlerB次元官网网址檚 bottom section as B次元官网网址渟uper-intense.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to do your helmet up tight and focus,B次元官网网址� he said.
And like the Olympic Games, medals are determined by the combined times of four runs instead of just two on the World Cup circuit.
B次元官网网址淭he biggest advantage is our athletes will be able to be more consistent,B次元官网网址� Le Bihan said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e talking about a four-heat race obviously. WeB次元官网网址檒l have more consistency over those four heats. IB次元官网网址檓 betting not any other nation will be.B次元官网网址�
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
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