Canada’s bobsleigh athletes stormed the podium, pulling three medals out of Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Friday afternoon.
For just the second time ever, Canada placed two teams on the men’s two-man bobsleigh. Summerland's Justin Kripps and Jesse Lumsden celebrated the silver medal, while Chris Spring and Lascelles Brown captured the bronze. Kaillie Humphries and Cynthia Appiah continued their winning ways, sliding to the bronze in women’s racing.
Team Kripps previously shared the podium in 2014 with Team Lyndon Rush when Kripps drove to his first World Cup victory, and medal, in Konigssee, Germany.
“It was a great day for Canada,” said Kripps in a press release. “It was nice to be in the winner’s box and see it come down to one-hundredth of a second between us. We get along really well and always push each other so it was nice to see that result.
The only other time Canada placed two men’s sleds on the World Cup podium came in 1993 when Pierre Lueders and Chris Lori finished one-two in four-man racing in Calgary.
With 32-year-old Jesse Lumsden, of Burlington, Ont., providing the horsepower, Kripps laid down a brilliant second run to climb to his first silver medal ever on the World Cup, clocking a two-run time of 1:49.74 on the 1,455-metre challenging chute that meanders down the Adirondacks.
“The first run I made a big mistake in the exit of corner 12. I just went back to the top and the coaches gave me a couple of tips,” said Kripps, 29. “It was a pretty awesome second run. We knew we had to lay down a perfect run. We did what we needed to do and it is just really nice to be back on the podium.”
It was Kripps’ third career two-man medal, and first with Lumsden on the brakes. Kripps also drove to a bronze in four-man action on the Lake Placid track last year.
“This is a big one for Jesse and I. We were looking to get in the medals in the first half of the season. It didn’t happen in Whistler so we are pumped to get the silver today,” added Kripps.