This season, eight doubles competitions have already taken place in the World Cup, but in January, the first starts with a four-man sleigh are already ahead. Oskars Ķibermanis has been the most successful so far, winning silver in Sigulda in the third stage of the season, and two bronze and equally silver awards in Austria. The less experienced Ralfs Bērziņš, who is currently in the fifth position in the overall standings, is also starting quite successfully.
On Saturday, after a short holiday, the Latvian national team gathered together to prepare for the January starts.
“I have a clear idea [sniegumu] I am positive. The exception is perhaps the four stages of Sigulda, in which Ķiberman did not do very well, “Prussia evaluates the athletes’ performance in the World Cup this year.” There is a certain explanation and side effects as to why the results were like this. “
Prūsis also highlighted the achievements of the pilots Dāvis Kaufmanis and Emils Cipulis, who will start in the European Cup.
“We talk about these three pilots all the time, but I am also pleased with the other two participants in the European Cup, because last year they were far from the top three, but this year I would like to say that the guys are quite close,” Prussia cannot miss the growth. “At times, they can also bypass those three ‘famous’ pilots, as that’s very positive.”
The coach, who used to drive a bobsleigh sleigh, did not hide in a conversation with LTV that the team continues to test the equipment. One of the two sledges has been taken from the previous start and it is planned to stay “under pressure” in the upcoming stages in January.
On Saturday, in the first training after the festival, the athletes have performed tests on the trestle and also in the arena, but on Sunday the four-sledge will be pushed on the trestle.
Prusis also revealed that the team wanted to try the track built in China this year. The tests would make it possible to understand what adjustments are needed for the sledges at the disposal of the Latvian national team.
“This idea is falling back now. Now we have the world championship to be held in Altenberg,” added Prussia.
The athletes of the Latvian national team will spend the last days of this year in their homeland, but will go to Germany on January 2. The first stage of the World Cup next year is scheduled for January 9 in Winterberg, where two crews will start, but a day later also four.
After eight out of 12 doubles competitions, the first place with 1785 points is taken by the German Francesco Friedrich, followed by Johannes Lohner with 1639 points, and the third with 1534 is Ķibermanis. Bērziņš has accumulated 1320 points and is fifth, Oskars Melbārdis with 960 points is tenth, but Dāvis Kaufmanis and Emīls Cipulis with 144 and 128 points, respectively, are in 22nd and 23rd place.
Latvia and Germany are the only countries in the World Cup stages that start with three crews.
Bobsleighs from the USA, Canada and South Korea are not yet participating in the stages.
In the 2019/2020 season, Ķibermanis won the second place in the doubles, conceding only to Friedrich, but Bērziņš took the 14th position in six out of eight stages. Melbārdis was in 30th place with one start in Sigulda, who spent most of the season due to rehabilitation after injury treatment.
Since 2006, the International Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeletons has been organizing the World Cup stages together, dividing five sets of medals in one stage – in the skeleton for ladies and gentlemen, in bobsleigh for men in doubles and fours, and for bobsleighers in doubles.
However, the Sigulda track is currently not suitable for bobsleigh quad competitions, therefore two men’s doubles competitions took place in Latvia in one stage. And also in two weeks of competition in Innsbruck, bobsleighers played two competitions for doubles every week.
After the new year, one stage is planned in Winterberg, where competitions for four are planned for the first time. The stages will continue in St. Moritz and Königssee, but the end of the season will be in Innsbruck, which has replaced the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games on the calendar.
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