Germany Wins Gold Medal for Women’s Bobsled at Winter Olympics 2022, USA Takes Bronze

Germany won the gold and silver medals in the two-woman bobsled at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Saturday. 

Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi took the top spot with a total time of 4:03.96. They finished 0.77 seconds ahead of their countrywomen, Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt (4:04.73).

The United States duo of Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman won the bronze after finishing their four runs in 4:05.48. 

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Two-Woman Bobsled Results

Gold: Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi (Germany): 4:03.96

Silver: Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt (Germany): 4:04.73

Bronze: Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman (United States): 4:05.48

4. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz (Germany): 4:06.28

5. Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski (Canada): 4:06.37

6. Melanie Hasler and Nadja Pasternack (Switzerland): 4:06.83

7. Kaillie Humphries and Kaysha Love (United States): 4:07.04

8. Cynthia Appiah and Dawn Richardson Wilson (Canada): 4:07.52

9. Nadezhda Sergeeva and Yulia Belomestnykh (Russian Olympic Committee): 4:08.11

10. Katrin Beierl and Jennifer Onasanya (Austria): 4:08.24

11. Huai Mingming and Wang Xuan (China): 4:08.26

12. Melissa Lotholz and Sara Villani (Canada): 4:08.37

13. Margot Boch and Carla Senechal (France): 4:08.39

14. Ying Qing and Du Jiani (China): 4:08.49

15. An Vannieuwenhuyse and Sara Aerts (Belgium): 4:08.58

16. Breeana Walker and Kiara Reddingius (Australia): 4:08.64

17. Mica McNeill and Montell Douglas (Great Britain): 4:08.85

18. Andreea Grecu and Katharina Wick (Romania): 4:08.98

19. Anastasiia Makarova and Elena Mamedova (Russian Olympic Committee): 4:09.09

20. Martina Fontanive and Irina Strebel (Switzerland): 4:09.59

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Nolte and Levi wasted no time asserting themselves as the team to beat. They set track records in each of their first three runs, going from 1:01.04 to 1:01.01 to 1:00.70. 

The team had a 0.78-second advantage over Jamanka and Burghardt going into the final heat. 

Nolte's time of 1:01.04 in the first heat could have been even faster, but she had a minor slip near the ninth curve that slowed her down for a moment.

The 23-year-old didn't quite match her track-record times in the final heat, but she didn't need to take risks with such a decided advantage. Levi got the bobsled off with a good push and Nolte got it past the finish line in 1:01.21 to secure the gold. 

Jamanka and Burghardt had the fastest time in the final heat (1:01.20), but the second heat was the big dividing line as they finished .44 seconds behind the Nolte-Levi tandem. 

This is the second consecutive Olympic medal for Jamanka. She won gold with Lisa Buckwitz in Pyeongchang four years ago.

Meyers Taylor won her fourth straight Olympic medal in the two-woman bobsled. The American captured the bronze with Sylvia Hoffman this time around. 

Meyers Taylor and Hoffman finished third in all four heats Saturday. Their best time was 1:01.13 in the third heat. Meyers Taylor medaled twice in Beijing, including her silver medal in the women's monobob on Monday. 

The 37-year-old California native has five career Olympic medals dating back to 2010. She previously won silver in 2014 and bronze in 2010. 

Meyers Taylor will also represent the U.S. as the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony Sunday after she was unable to do it for the opening ceremony because of a positive COVID-19 test. 

Since the Olympics added the two-woman bobsled to the competition in 2002, Meyers Taylor's four medals in this event are the most in history. She entered Beijing tied with Kaillie Humphries, who won three medals representing Canada from 2010 to 2018. 

Humphries began competing for the United States in 2019 after filing harassment complaints against Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton head coach Todd Hays, high performance director Chris Le Bihan and president Sarah Storey.

Humphries was paired with Kaysha Love in this event, but they had a disappointing seventh-place finish overall. They were in fourth after the first heat, but posted the ninth-fastest time in the second heat (1:01.97). 

Despite the rough ending to her time in Beijing, Humphries beat Meyers Taylor earlier this week to become the first Olympic gold medalist in the women's monobob.