U.S. women medal in bobsled and long-track speedskating
Germany’s Mariama Jamanka, winless in 23 top-tier starts coming into the Olympics, put together four nearly flawless runs on her way to taking gold in women’s bobsled Wednesday night.
Germany held off Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. and Kaillie Humphries of Canada.
“I still Jamanka moon.”
Jamanka and brakeman Lisa Buckwitz finished their four runs in 3 minutes, 22.45 seconds. Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs were second in 3:22.52, the 0.07-second margin the closest between first and second in any Olympic women’s bobsled race.
“We made Mariama come get it,” said Meyers Taylor, who won her third Olympic medal. “And she did.”
Meyers Taylor and Jamanka were the last two sleds down the track, and the only two real contenders for gold by that point.
Meyers Taylor finished in 50.73 seconds, jumped out of her sled, threw her arms in the air and celebrated with Gibbs. And then everyone turned their attention to the top of the track to see if Jamanka could pull off the win.
“We came up short, but me and Lauren gave everything we had until the very last hundredth,” Meyers Taylor said. “We won a silver medal.”
Jamie Greubel Poser and brakeman Aja Evans of the U.S. were fifth.
“We’re very proud of what we did,” said Evans. “It’s still tough. It’s going to be tough for a while.”
Nigeria, with pilot Seun Adigun and brakemen Akuoma Omeoga and Ngozi Onwumere — Omeoga was ill and couldn’t race Wednesday, so she was subbed out — finished last in the 20-sled field, nearly four seconds behind 19th-place Jamaica.
“All we have to give is everything we’ve got,” Adigun said. believe it, that we won,” “I’m absolutely over the
A rare bronze: Mia Manganello, Heather Bergsma and Brittany Bowe teamed to give the U.S. women a medal in long-track speedskating, ending a 16-year drought with a bronze in team pursuit.
“It was just an uproar of emotions of screaming and cheering,” Manganello said.
The trio beat Canada by 0.45 seconds with a time of 2 minutes, 59.27 seconds.
“It was like all the weight lifted off my shoulders,” Bergsma said.
Also: can’t said.
The U.S. men’s curling team Britain 10-4 to qualify for
defeated the semifinals Thursday against Canada. A win gets the Americans into the gold-medal match, while a loss means a trip to the bronze-medal game . ... Canada’s Brady Leman won gold in skicross . ... Norway beat South Korea to win the men’s speedskating team pursuit title . ... Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Martin Johnsrud captured gold in the men’s cross-country ski team sprint.