Canada’s bobsled women face German juggernaut

WHISTLER, B.C. – Canada’s bobsled women will try their hand at stopping the German onslaught at the Whistler Sliding Centre starting Tuesday.

Through the luge, skeleton and the men’s two-man bobsled competitions, German sliders have claimed half of the 18 medals up for grabs at the $105-million venue.

And wouldn’t you know it, standing in the way of Olympic glory for Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse in Canada 1, and Helen Upperton and Shelley Ann Brown in Canada 2, are Germany 1 and Germany 2, along with Shauna Rohbock’s U.S.A. 1 sled.

The four-run, combined-time event starts Tuesday night at 5 p.m. PT and concludes Wednesday evening.

Germany 1 pilot Sandra Kiriasis, 35, is defending her Olympic gold medal from Turin in 2006. She won the overall World Cup title this season, though shed did so without winning any single race.

Instead, it was her countrywoman, 27-year-old Cathleen Martini, leading the way with five victories. Only a DNF in Altenberg, Ger., prevented the rising star from taking the overall title and she finished third behind Kiriasis and Humphries.

Humphries, a 24-year-old from Calgary, enjoyed a breakout season with four podium finishes in eight races, including a victory in Altenberg. She and national team rugby player Moyse – the pride of Summerside, P.E.I. – broke six start records and tied two others. They completed the hat trick in Altenberg (first place, track record, start record).

It was more of a struggle for Upperton, whose second place in Altenberg was her only podium finish. But the 30-year-old Calgarian has Olympic experience – and the motivation of unfinished business – on her side. She and Moyse, 31, came within 5/100ths of a bronze medal in Turin.

"This season I struggled a bit," Upperton said after using one of a possible two training runs Monday night. "Now, I actually feel more like myself. The track feels really good."

Not to be counted out of the medal race is Rohbock, who holds the track time record of 53.53 seconds from the Feb. 2009 World Cup.

Great Britain’s hope, Nicole Minichiello, is the reigning world champion but a long shot after failing to find her form this season and then undergoing surgery on her left eye, which she says is still not fully healed.

Rohbock, the silver-medallist from Turin, called the Whistler track "stupid fast" after her first training session and, on Monday, officials worked to make the 16-corner chute slightly less stupid.

Four-man sleds from Croatia and Latvia crashed in training Monday morning and The Associated Press reported that the governing body, the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation, met with coaches and decided to remove some ice from corners 11, 12 and 13 to improve safety.

The latter curve is where Canada’s Lyndon Rush tipped over in his second run of Saturday’s two-man event, though no sleds crashed in Sunday’s two-man final.

Much has been made of the dangers of the Whistler track since the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training run on Feb. 12.

"It’s smoother for us. It’s a little bit easier, easier to get the line," Martini said of the alterations to the course since.

Kiriasis, Martini and Upperton had the fastest three runs in training Monday – all below 53.4 seconds – with Upperton clocking 147.8 km/h. The track speed record is 145.2 km/h, held by Kiriasis, and can only be broken in competition.