Why Skeleton team nets five medals in season-opener

WHISTLER, Canada — USA Skeleton athletes claimed five medals in the season-opening races of the North American Cup series in Whistler, Canada. Skeleton races were held Wednesday and Thursday on the 2010 Olympic track, which will host the 2019 World Championships in March.

Greg West and Austin Florian each won bronze medals over the two days in men’s skeleton, while Savannah Graybill claimed two silver medals and Kendall Wesenberg wrapped up the Whistler event with a win in women’s skeleton.

“This has been a great two weeks to get on the World Championship track and work on some of its intricacies,” said Caleb Smith, USA Skeleton technical and development lead coach. “The athletes have done a great job focusing on the team culture, working together and finding creative ways to solve complex problems on this track. I was thrilled to see their performances under pressure in a deep field with World Cup sliders. The speed that they were able to generate, even when there were small mistakes, shows their comfort here. It’s been a great week to prepare for the upcoming World Cup season.”

In the first women’s race, Russian Yulia Kanakina was victorious in 1:48.43, but Graybill was on her heels, finishing just 0.09 seconds behind for the silver medal. Graybill clocked runs of 54.57 and 53.95 seconds for a combined time of 1:48.52. Her second run was fastest of the heat, and the fastest run of the women’s competition.

Canadians finished 3-4-6, and Wesenberg finished fifth to nearly complete a North American sweep. Lanette Prediger was third in 1:49.37. Wesenberg posted runs of 54.95 and 54.66 seconds for a total of 1:49.61 to secure fifth. Wesenberg’s offseason work to better her start times was evident with pushes of 5.10 and 5.04 seconds.

Kelly Curtis, still new to the racing scene, posted an impressive eighth place finish with a combined time of 1:50.12 after sliding to the finish in 55.11 and 55.01 seconds. Kristen Hurley finished 14th with a two-run total of 1:53.37 (57.01, 56.36). Hurley is competing in only her second season as a skeleton athlete. She raced as a bobsled push athlete during the 2015-2016 season before making the transition.

Wesenberg and Graybill traded for the fastest runs of the field in the second women’s competition. Wesenberg edged her teammate by 0.12 seconds for the victory with a total time of 1:48.90. She trailed Graybill after a first run time of 54.42 seconds, but surpassed the entire field with a second run of 54.48 seconds.

“These past few days in Whistler have been a great starting point for the season,”Wesenberg said. “Coming into this training, a lot of my focus was on getting comfortable here and I feel like I finally started to put the track together by the end of the week. It has been great working with Caleb (Smith) and this team and I am excited to see what we can do this year.”

Graybill’s runs of 54.36 and 54.66 seconds combined for a 1:49.02 to secure her second silver medal.

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