WOMEN’S MONOBOB MEDALISTS AT THE 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS:
GOLD: Kaillie Humphries, USA, 4:19.27
SILVER: Elana Meyers Taylor, USA, (+1.54)
BRONZE: Christine de Bruin, CAN, (+1.76)
WATCH FULL EVENT REPLAYS: HEATS 1 AND 2 | HEATS 3 AND 4
It may be “monobob,” but for Team USA it was a two-woman win.
At the end of four heats, Kaillie Humphries topped the field in the Olympic debut of women’s monobob. With her third gold medal, Kaillie Humphries – a two-time Olympic champion (and one-time bronze medalist) for Canada who gained United States citizenship just weeks ago – now holds the most golds of any female bobsledder in Games history.
Meanwhile, Elana Meyers Taylor – a two-time silver medalist in two-woman bobsled who also earned bronze at Vancouver 2010, and one of just two mothers competing for the United States at these Games – earned monobob silver. In doing so, she became the oldest American woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics (37 years, 127 days).
SEE MORE: Monobob: Meyers Taylor moves into third place after Heat 3
Previously, the only bobsled event for women at the Winter Olympics was “two-woman,” which involves a separate pusher and brakewoman. In monobob, each individual athlete must shove, steer, and brake her own sled. The two-woman will still be contested at the 2022 Winter Olympics beginning Friday, February 18 at 7 a.m. ET.
SEE MORE: Sochi 2014: Humphries leads Canada’s repeat bobsled win
Day one of competition saw the majority of athletes struggle to steer a 350-pound vehicle down the Yanqing National Sliding Centre‘s icy, serpentine Xiaohaituo Bobsled and Luge Track, often referred to as “The Flying Snow Dragon” (or one of half a dozen other variations). Unfortunately, The Dragon pinballed most bobsledders from side to side and out of medal contention; the competition often resembled an Olympic version of bumper cars.
Not Humphries or Meyers Taylor. Meyers Taylor produced two solid runs with just a few bumps and snags. Meanwhile, Humphries secured a healthy lead of 1.04 seconds over former Canadian teammate Christine de Bruin by employing both strategy and speed.
SEE MORE: American Humphries zeroes in on gold, Olympic history in final monobob heats
SEE MORE: POV: Zoom 80 miles per hour down ‘The Dragon’ bobsled course
Humphries kicked off day two of competition with a clean start and gained momentum from there, though she clipped a wall on the “Dragon’s Tail” – the 13th, and most brtual, of the track’s 16 sharp curves.
In Heat 3, Canada’s de Bruin couldn’t close the gap. Despite clean lines, she continued to bleed time. Germany’s Laura Nolte, who started in third standing, skidded to a full two seconds behind Humphries in her worst run yet. Nolte’s poor showing opened the door for Meyers Taylor, who – in another consistent heat – swapped positions on the rankings.
For Heat 4, the order reversed – and the tension increased. But Meyers Taylor brought it home with her firsts in the air – immediately securing a bronze medal with her best run of the competition, 1:05.11 – and the tears began flowing. As she hugged her team, chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” rang across the stadium.
The pressure must have gotten to de Bruin, who then struggled through her slowest heat of four and flip-flopped podium positions with Meyers Taylor.
Humphries, in the race’s final run, was still up more than a second and a half over Meyers Taylor. She just needed one more clean heat. But if the final run (mostly) lacked drama, it also produced an incredibly inspiring result: Humphries finished in 1:05.30, and claimed the Olympic’s first monobob gold.
SEE MORE: Meyers Taylor rips solid runs, is fourth at monobob midpoint
Following day one of competition, Humphries was asked what it would mean to win gold for the U.S.
“It would be a huge honor,” she said, choking back tears. “It’s an honor to be here … [This opportunity], it’s not something that was guaranteed. It’s something that I had to fight tooth and nail for, I had to give up and sacrifice for. The U.S. really had to accept me, and take me on. And so to be able to be a citizen representing the place where I live, where I will grow and raise my family – I’m going to do everything I possibly can to stand on the podium.”
She added: “I want to be able to put my heart and soul into it, and I know the country backs me for that.”
SEE MORE: Monobob leader Humphries: ‘The U.S. had to accept me’
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