Jamanka takes gold, denies Meyers Taylor
Daughter of former Navy football star earns silver, 0.07 behind the winner
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA — Up in the starting area on a frigid night in the mountains, only three women’s bobsled pilots remained. One was the twotime defending Olympic gold medalist. Another was the reigning world champion. And the third was someone without a single victory of any international significance on her resume. Guess who prevailed? Women’s bobsledding has a new star, and a surprise Olympic champion. Germany’s Mariama Jamanka — winless in 23 career top-tier starts in her sport coming into the Pyeongchang Games — put together four nearly flawless runs on her way to winning gold at the Alpensia Sliding Center on Wednesday, holding off Elana Meyers Taylor of the United States and Kaillie Humphries of Canada on her way to the medal podium’s top step.
“I still can’t believe it, that we won,” Jamanka said. “I’m absolutely over the moon.”
Jamanka and brakeman Lisa Buckwitz finished their four runs in 3 minutes, 22.45 seconds. Meyers Taylor, the daughter of former Navy football great Eddie Meyers, and Lauren Gibbs of the U.S. 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 drove to the world title last year. “And she did.”
Humphries — the gold medalist in 2010 and 2014 — teamed with Phylicia George to get third in 3:22.89. As it was for Meyers Taylor, it was the third Olympic medal for Humphries.
Nigeria, with pilot Seun Adigun and brakewomen 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 19thplace Jamaica.
The Nigerians were the first sled from an African nation to compete in women’s bobsled at the Olympics. Their presence only added to a sport that has seen no shortage of diversity; four of the six women who won medals Wednesday night are women of color. Elana Meyers Taylor, left, and Lauren Gibbs of the U.S. celebrate their silver medal in the closest Olympic women’s bobsled race ever.
Meyers Taylor and Jamanka were the last two sleds down the track, and the only two real remaining contenders for gold by that point.
Meyers Taylor finished in 50.73 seconds, jumped out of her sled, raised her arms and celebrated with Gibbs. And then everyone turned their attention to the top of the track, to see whether Jamanka could pull off the win.
It wasn’t the greatest start for the Germans, and they trailed Meyers Taylor by 0.13 of a second in one of the early splits. But Jamanka picked the perfect line and kept picking up speed, overtaking Meyers Taylor’s time in one of the final turns.
“I was not that nervous,” Jamanka said, “because I didn’t think how impossible it is to beat them.”
For her, it was only impossible until now.
Jamanka held a lead of 0.07 of a second after Tuesday’s first two runs, and she opened the third heat by breaking Meyers Taylor’s track record — setting the tone for the night with a time of 50.49 seconds.
Undeterred, Meyers Taylor took the record right back.
She was next down the track, crossing the line in 50.46 seconds and cutting the deficit to 0.04 of a second going into the final run. With that, the stage to a gold medal was set for either the upstart German or the American veteran — the one who carried the lead into the fourth heat of the Olympics four years ago and saw it slip away in one steering mistake.
There was no big mistake this time. Meyers Taylor was almost flawless. Jamanka was just a tiny bit better.
“We came up short, but me and Lauren gave everything we had until the very last hundredth,” Meyers Taylor said. “Wewon a silver medal.”