2006 Lake Placid AIT America's Cup
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Event Story
Repeat winners lead in Lake Placid as AIT America’s Cup wraps up day two
Familiar faces came out on top in all three events at the Verizon Sports Complex as the second day of the AIT America’s Cup bobsled and skeleton races concluded on Friday. The men’s gold medal winner of both Thursday and Friday’s races, Mike Cline, may have been more emotional than the other winners atop the podium, as this year’s America’s Cup marked the end of his skeleton career.
Cline, a native of Kent, Wash. and who now lives and runs a yoga franchise in New York City, announced his retirement after today’s races. “This started as a 5 year journey to make the Olympic team and I fell a little short because we’re so deep as a team,” said Cline. “It’s emotional for me to go out this way”. Cline was able to set some of his own personal records on the track today as he slid to his second win with a total two-run time of 1 minute 55.37 seconds, beating his own time of 1:56.56 from Thursday.
Japan’s Yuuki Nozawa took second, as he also did on Thursday, with 1:55.81 and Matt Antoine of the USA placed third with a time of 1:56.23.
In women’s skeleton, Canadian Tash Ellison placed first once again, regardless of not feeling her best prior to the race. Ellison says, “I was tired and didn’t have much push. But one of the Canadian bobsledders came by and offered me some words of encouragement and that helped. I’m getting good support from Canada, and that keeps me going.” Ellison, who was born in Albuquerque, N.M. has been living and training in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for five years.
Ellison continued to say that to have two wins on this track is important for her and she was thrilled to do so, as she had been struggling trying to figure out some of the corners of the track.
Combining two runs of 58.65 and 59.76, Ellison captured the gold with a total time of 1:58.41. Felicia Canfield of Kaysville, Utah placed second with a total time of 1:58.51 and Kim Krowleski, also of the U.S., took third with 1:58.60.
John Napier drove to another first place finish in the men’s two-man bobsled competition. Napier, of Schenectady, along with brakeman J.P. Davies of Lincoln, Neb., had combined run times of 1:00.51 and 1:00.56 for a total time of 2:01.07. Napier will continue his hope for a sweep of all four America’s Cup bobsled races as he competes in the four-man bobsled competition on Saturday and Sunday.
Second place in the two-man event went to another U.S. sled team. Driver Michael Bradley and brakeman John Caponio, whose second run finish of 1:00.32 was just faster than that of Napier and Davies’, ended with a total time of 2:01.20. Canadians Lyndon Rush and Jermaine Buchnor took third with a total finish time of 2:01.24.
The AIT America’s Cup continues over the weekend at the Verizon Sports Complex, with four-man bobsled races on both Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10 am.
