Preview to Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup in Königssee
Date/Time CET
Friday, 13 January, 9.00 am- Women’s skeleton
Friday, 13 January, 12.00 pm- Women’s bobsleigh
Saturday, 14 January, 9.00 am- Men’s skeleton
Saturday, 14 January, 12.00 pm- Men’s 2-man bobsleigh
Saturday, 14 January, 4.00 pm- Team competition
Sunday, 15 January, 1.30 pm-Men’s 4-man bobsleigh
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Second half of season opens at last season’s World Championship venue
Königssee (RWH) Königssee has its place in the history of FIBT as the first artificial ice track ever to be built in the world. This intricate labyrinth has already hosted four FIBT World Championships: for bobsleigh in 1979, skeleton in 1990, and in 2004 the first ever joint bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships. The ice track entered a new era after the lower third of the course had been redesigned, and the Bauhaus FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Championships 2011 were a fitting way of celebrating this. Technology and safety at this historic venue were brought up to date at the same time, as was the track’s attractiveness for both media and spectators. It will now be opening the second half of the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup 2011/2012.
After the fourth of eight World Cup rounds, Martins Dukurs of Latvia continues to head the overall men’s skeleton rankings with the maximum possible score of 900 points, followed by brother Tomass Dukurs with 788 points and Alexander Tretiakov of Russia with 786 points. In the women’s skeleton, World Championship bronze medallist Mellisa Hollingsworth of Canada is in the lead with 729 points. Hot on her heels is World Champion Marion Thees of Germany with 728 points followed by opening winner Olga Potylitsina of Russia in third place with 681 points.
World Champion Cathleen Martini of Germany heads the overall women’s bobsleigh ranking in the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup Tour 2011/2012. Ranked second last season, Martini now has 844 points. She is followed by Germany’s Anja Schneiderheinze with 819 points and Fabienne Meyer of Switzerland with 776 points. In the men’s two-man event, Thomas Florschütz of Germany has strengthened his lead and now has 885 points. Beat Hefti of Switzerland is second with 835 points and Maximilian Arndt of Germany third with 762 points. In the overall four-man bobsleigh rankings, Alexsandr Zubkov of Russia is in the lead with 829 points after four of eight rounds in the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup Tour 2011/2012. Thomas Florschütz of Germany is close behind him with 825 points, followed by fellow German Maximilian Arndt with 779 points.
Artificial track at Königssee hosts season’s second team competition
Königssee (RWH) The second and last team competition in the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup Tour 2011/2012 will be held on the Königssee ice track. The national teams will be racing for the best overall time at the close of the second competition day on Saturday, 14 January from 4 pm.
Each nation’s team is made up of a two-man bobsleigh, a women’s bobsleigh and a male and female skeleton athlete. The four individual times are added up for each nation, and the team with the best time wins the competition. The Deutschland I team of Frank Rommel, Anja Huber, Sandra Kiriasis/Stephanie Schneider and Maximilian Arndt/Jan Speer won the first team competition held during the first World Cup weekend in Igls, Austria, followed by their teammates Alexander Kröckel, Marion Thees, Anja Schneiderheinze/Christin Senkel and Manuel Machata/Michail Makarow in second in Deutschland II. Team Russia I, made up of Alexander Tretiakov, Olga Potylitsina, Olga Fedorova/Yulia Timofeeva and Alexander Kasjanov/Maxim Mokrousov came third. The national teams will also be racing for gold in Lake Placid (USA) at the end of the first World Championship week in February (Sunday, 19 February 2012, 1.30 pm local time/ 7.30 pm CET).
Two-man bobsleigh European Champion Florschütz with fibula stress fracture
Königssee (RWH) Thomas Florschütz, European Champion in the two-man bobsleigh, will not be competing in at least the next two races in the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup Tour in Königssee and St. Moritz. A CT scan performed on Monday by Christian Schneider, the team doctor attached to the German Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation (BSD), has discovered that two-man Olympic silver medallist Florschütz suffered a stress fracture of the fibula in the first run of the four-man bobsleigh event this weekend.
Florschütz, who collected bronze in the race despite his injury, is due to be operated on in Erfurt on Tuesday. Christoph Langen, head coach of the German Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation (BSD), has not yet ruled out the participation of Florschütz in the World Championships. “There are still six weeks to go”, said Langen. “The foot will be operated on to stabilise the injury, and we expect a quick recovery after that”. The World Championships are being held in Lake Placid in the US state of New York from 17 to 26 February. Florschütz’ brakeman Kevin Kuske, who previously won four Olympics pushing André Lange, is expected to compete in the remaining World Cup races with a new driver.
Florschütz, who has celebrated three World Cup victories in four races in the two-seater this season, and one in the four-seater, had to take a break from the bobsleigh at the beginning of last season after intervertebral disc surgery. But the 2010/2011 season ended happily with silver in the two-man bobsleigh World Championships in Königssee.
Königssee timetable:
Königssee (RWH) The ladies open the fifth round in the Viessmann FIBT Bob & Skeleton World Cup Tour 2011/2012, with the skeleton athletes racing for gold on the Königssee ice track at the beginning of the first competition day (Friday, 13 January at 9 am). They are followed by the two women's bobsleigh heats starting at midday. Three competitions will be held on Saturday (14 January), starting with the men’s skeleton at 9 am. At midday the bobsleigh athletes will be fighting for World Cup points in the two-man event, followed by the team competition at 4 pm. The World Cup weekend on the ice track which has hosted four World Championships closes with the four-man bobsleigh on Sunday, 15 January at 1.30 pm.
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