ALTENBERG, Germany (AP) — U.S. bobsledder Kaillie Humphries is returning to the World Cup circuit on Saturday in what will be the three-time Olympic champion’s first race since becoming a mother six months ago.
Humphries will compete in the women’s monobob at Altenberg, Germany, as the World Cup schedule for bobsledders gets underway. She is the reigning Olympic champion in monobob, winning at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The 70-time World Cup medalist hasn’t raced against top international competition since a World Cup event on Feb. 18, 2023. She took last season off with hopes of becoming a mother, and she and her husband — former U.S. bobsledder Travis Armbruster — welcomed their son in mid-June.
Humphries was training again weeks after giving birth, a frantic rush to get ready for this season.
“I had my suspicions,” Armbruster wrote on social media, “but now I’m quite certain she is indeed super-human.”
The two-man bobsled race in Altenberg also will be held Saturday, with women’s bobsled and four-man scheduled for Sunday.
The U.S. won its first skeleton medal of the season Friday, with Sara Roderick and Austin Florian grabbing silver in the World Cup mixed team event at Altenberg.
It was Roderick’s first World Cup medal. Florian had one previously — a bronze in the mixed team event at Altenberg last season.
Britain’s duo of Tabitha Stoecker and Marcus Wyatt won the mixed gold, with the American team second and the German team of Susanne Kreher and Christopher Grotheer taking third.
Earlier Friday, Belgium’s Kim Meylemans won a weather-shortened women’s race — her first World Cup victory coming in her 65th career start on tour.
Meylemans edged Kreher and Germany’s Hannah Neise for the gold, prevailing in a one-heat race instead of the customary two. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation delayed the start of racing for nearly two hours because of heavy snow and shortened the competition because of time constraints.
“It’s always difficult if the weather is difficult,” Meylemans said. “Honestly, I have to give a compliment to IBSF this time to make the call to delay the race because it definitely was better than what it would have been if we would have gone (earlier). One heat, it’s always hard, but everyone knows the game, so got to give it your all.”
Roderick was the top U.S. finisher in the women’s race, placing ninth to — at the time — tie her best-ever World Cup finish. That race preceded her silver-medal effort in the team event.
In the men’s race, Grotheer — the reigning Olympic champion — got his fourth win in four singles races this season to extend his World Cup standings lead. Britain’s Matt Weston was second for his fourth medal of the season, and Wyatt took third.
Florian was sixth in the men’s race, leading the Americans.
The World Cup skeleton tour continues next weekend in Sigulda, Latvia.
The World Cup luge circuit is in Igls, Austria, this weekend, the second of nine stops on the calendar this season.
Women’s doubles, men’s doubles and women’s singles will be contested Saturday. The men’s singles race and a team relay are set for Sunday.
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