Summerland bobsleigh athlete Justin Kripps is preparing for the upcoming world championships which will be held in Whistler in early March.
Because of a decision by Bobsleigh Canada to limit the world cup entries and focus on the championships, Kripps and his team have competed in just three of six World Cups this season, eliminating any chance of him retaining his overall titles.
The crew from the Canada 1 and 2 teams in last year’s Winter Olympics have either retired or taken the year off.
Kripps has the Canada 3 crew from last year and the other two pilots have inexperienced crews.
In the three World Cups, Kripps gave the strong German team tough competition.
In two-man competition, Team Kripps finished a close second to Team Friedrich at Altenberg and Koenigsee in Germany and fourth in Igls.
In the four-man events, Team Kripps finished 12th, sixth and fifth.
Canada will compete in the final two World Cups in Lake Placid on Feb. 15 and 16 and in Calgary on Feb. 23 and 24.
The Wold Championships will be held in Whistler, with four heats over two days in the two-man and four-man events.
The two-man events will be held March 1 and 2, and the four-man events will be March 8 and 9.
There is also a team competition on March 3.