U.S. takes gold, silver in inaugural Olympic event

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Sunday, Feb. 13, was a day of many firsts. Not only was this the first time for the Super Bowl and Winter Games to happen at the same time, it was also the first time bobsled’s “monobob” was contested on the Olympic stage.

Minutes after the Los Angeles Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after their 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, coverage switched back across the Pacific Ocean to Day 11 in Beijing. With an expected large TV audience, sports fans across the country had the chance to catch veteran bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor earn silver and gold- guiding their individual sleds at the Yanquing National Sliding Centre.

The win was a resounding one for Humphries, who became a United States citizen in December. Her well-decorated career includes two gold medals while competing for Canada. She left the team in 2019 after she claimed to have been harassed from other members of the Canada Bobsled Federation. Over a course of four runs, Humphries registered a cumulative time of 4:19.27, 1.54 faster than Myers. Christine de Bruin of Canada (4:21.03) earned bronze.

This is the third Olympic silver for Elana, who earned medals of the same color in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018, and in Sochi, Russia four years prior. She also won bronze in Vancouver 2010. The Douglas, Georgia-native was selected to be the United States flag bearer for this year’s opening ceremony, but was unable to do the honors because she tested positive for Covid-19.

Humphries and Meyers return to competition Friday and Saturday in the two-woman sled event, which can be seen on KCBD. Coverage of the 24th Winter Olympic Games concludes Sunday.

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