Nigeria's Winter Olympic Debut #Pyeongchang2018

The Nigerian flag will for the first time parade in an opening ceremony of a Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on 9th February. Indeed they will have an all female team taking part in 2 events the women's bob and skeleton. 

Sean Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga are the women of the Nigerian bobsleigh team. They reached the qualification standard in November but how to consistently remain the in the world top 60 until mid January to ensure their qualification.

The three are all former Athletes and indeed this will not be driver Sean Adigun's first Olympic experience, she took part in the 100m hurdles in the 2012 London Olympics but finished 4th in her heat and did not advance.

It was Seun who is studying for a Doctorate in Chiropractics in Texas who first experienced the sport getting involved as a brakewoman on the American programme. She realised that the sport could really develop into new areas and reached out to Onwumere who she used to coach who retired from athletics ahead of Rio 2016 and Omeoga.

Thirty years on from Jamaica's dramatic debut in Calgary, Africa can now say they have a bobsled team.

The rest of the Nigerian team is also a slider Simidele Adeagbo was born in Canada 36 years ago and was a NCAA champion Triple Jumper during her time at the University of Kentucky. She too had hopes of the Olympics gave up on her dream in 2008. However, when she heard of Seun's ambitions to get a bobsleigh to Pyeongchang she too became inspired by Seun and her team's dream. She went for try out for the Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton Federation in Houston, Texas where her triple jump experience helped her get up to speed to hop unto a sled after 30 metres.


These are the first female competitors from Africa to take part in the sliding events and along with Ghana's Akwasi Frimpong, who moved to the Netherlands when he was eight, taking part in the mens's skeleton they are the first African sliders since South Africa's Tyler Botha made Africa's only sliding appearance at Turin in 2006 in the Men's skeleton.

Germans sweep the 4-man podium at home

The second event in Winterberg today, following on from the 2-woman bob, is the second 4-man bob. Yesterday it was the young Germans Max Arndt and Francisco Freidrich topping the standings on home ice.

With a couple of crashes on turn nine yesterday today's competition didn't look like it was going to get much better as the second sled down the course in heat one Oskars Melbardis of Latvia hit the end of the turn and flipped over. But his crash was to prove the only one as everyone else managed to get through that turn, some more neatly that others.

The former World Cup leader American Steven Holcomb who was one of those who flipped on the second run yesterday seemed to be more cautious today on his first run only recording the 
sixth fasted time. Meanwhile ahead of him the top four after the end of run one were the same as they finished yesterday Arndt, Freidrich, Alexandr Zubkov RUS and Thomas Florschütz GER.

One thing that is up for grabs as we head towards Sochi is the third placed nation to pick up that third sled for the men's competition. After yesterday the Russians had edged ahead of the Americans in that race. Germany  lead on 2023 points from Canada 1870, Russia 1866, USA 1559. The American's were hoping for better today and thankfully kept all three sleds upright and into round 2, only two of them were behind the 3rd Russian.

After the first heat USA had Holcomb 6th, Nick Cunningham 16th and Cory Butner (who crashed in heat one yesterday) 19th. But the Russians had Zubkov 3rd, Alexandr Kasjanov 8th and Nikita Zakharov 11th.

In the second heat there weren't that many major climbers one exception was USA's Butner who stayed in the leaders box for quite some time and eventually would climb to 13th, sadly the only one of the six that really mattered in the USA v Russia match up to slip below his was his team mate Cunningham. Beat Hefti SWI repeated his performance of yesterday in climbing from 9th to 6th, which relegated Holcomb one place. But the only other significant change was Thomas Florschütz overcoming a 0.03 deficit behind Zubkov into a 0.03 advantage and taking the final podium slot.

German clean sweep

Result

1. Maximillian Arndt GER 55.02 + 55.07 = 1:50.09
2. Francisco Freidrich GER 55.05 + 55.27 = 1:50.32 +0.23
3. Thomas Florschütz GER 55.21 + 55.28 = 1:50.49 +0.40
4. Alexandr Zubkov RUS 55.18 + 55.34 = 1:50.52 +0.43
5. Chris Spring CAN 55.32 + 55.51 = 1:50.83 +0.74
6. Beat Hefti SWI 55.47 + 55.55 = 1:51.02 +0.93

Selected others

7. Steven Holcomb USA 1:51.03
8. Nikita Zakharov RUS 1:51.12
9. Rush Lyndon CAN 1:51.17
10. Alexandr Kasjanov RUS 1:51.18
11. Justin Kripps CAN 1:51.22
13. Cory Butner USA 1:51.54
16. Nick Cunningham 1:51.67

World Cup Standings

1. Arndt  GER 1038
2. Zubkov RUS 922
3. Holcomb USA 911
4. Spring CAN 904
5. Florschütz GER 864
6. Kasjanov RUS 816
7. Freidrich GER 756

Team points

Germany  2658
Russia 2362
Canada 2342
USA 1943

Kiriasis receives late birthday present win

Sandra Kiriasis of Germany turned 39 yesterday bidding for her fourth Oympics having won gold in 2006 and silver when the women made their bobsleigh debut in 2002. With her age she is giving some start time to the younger athletes but what she makes up in start speed she make up from here experience with driving.

In the first run Kallie Humphries of Canada had set a track record start time of 5.51, Kiriasis and her brakewoman Franziska Fritz had given then a quarter of a second at the end of those first 50m. But by the end of the run they were 0.05 ahead enough to put them in third place.

There was another American pair driven by the Olympic bronze medalist from Vancouver in 2010 Elana Meyers, which had pushed Kiriasis out of the medals, who was sitting in fifth after the first run that was going to first major move within the top five. With top class hurdler Lolo Jones as her brakewoman she got off to a flying on the second run. 5.52 only just behind the start record set by Humphries in the first run and she drove flawlessly to record a time of 57.52secs at the finish, some 0.24 seconds that the fastest run in the first heat.

Sandra Kiriasis in action today Picture captured from IBSF Live stream

Humpries came next but was unable to capitalise on another fast start. She ended up 0.21 secs slower over all. Kiriasis was the next down the track, the 0.07 second advantage she had over Meyers was wiped out in the start giving up 0.17secs at the top. But it was Kiriasis driving that slowly eeked away at that lead keeping the momentum through all the tough curves but it wasn't until the very last bend that she over took Meyers and that just at the line by 0.01secs.

Anja Schneiderheinze of Germany looked like she might be able to steer her way to the win but lost her smoothness at the bottom of the run, being up at the penultimate check point but with her speed down to come in 0.07secs back on Kiriasis. The leader from the first run Jamie Gruebel from the USA was the last person who could affect proceedings, but while she too gained time at the top of the circuit it was in turns 9 and 10 that she made errors that would eventually not only cost her the win but also a place on the podium, despite posting exactly the same time as her leading time from heat 1.

Final result

1. Sandra Kiriasis/ Franziska Fritz GER 57.83 + 57.58 = 1:55.41
2. Elana Meyers/ Lolo Jones USA 57.90 + 57.52 = 1:55.42 +0.01
3. Anja Schneiderheinze/ Stephanie Scheider GER 57.79 + 57.69 = 1:55.48 +0.07
4. Jamie Gruebel/ Aja Evans USA 57.76 + 57.76 = 1:55.52 +0.11
5. Kallie Humphries/ Heather Moyse CAN 57.88 + 57.75 = 1:55.63 +0.22

World Cup standings

1. Meyers USA 1080 pts
2. Humphries CAN 1012
3. Gruebel USA 1002
4. Kiriasis GER 889
5. Cathleen Martini GER 872
6. Jazmine Fenlator USA 850
7. Schneiderheinze GER 784
8. Caroline Spahni SWI 784

You can catch up on the action on YouTube heat 1 and heat 2

German 1-2 in Winterberg Bobsleigh

The first 4-man bob event of the weekend in Winterberg certainly proved spectacular.

In the first run the sled of American driver Cory Butner flipped in turn nine and self righted further down the track. While the home crowd favourite Maximillian Arndt took the lead off the world cup leading American Steven Holcomb.

In the second run with the ice cutting up as the top sleds went off last there were some of those who didn't do so well on the first run making progress on the second. Beat Heaft was one of those he started 22nd on heat, had the 11th best time and ended up climbing into the top five. But it was the battle between the Germans that ended up being interesting U23 world Champion Francisco Freidrich came out of the start gate aiming for the time of his compatriot Thomas Florschuetz, after a good start he lost some time on the top half, but miraculously gained it back at the end. Then he watched as one of the Russian favourites for their home track in the Olympics went ahead of him on intermediate times to end 0.03 secs behind him on the finish line.

Next up was Holcomb, who started well and was looking good before getting high in turn nine. His upper runners leaving the track and by the time force pushed them back unto the ice it was too late and his men followed the same misfortune has they had in training earlier in the week and at Butner has earlier.

Final sled down the track was that of Arndt who consolidated his lead in the first leg by recording the second fastest time in run two, only 0,02 behind his younger countryman Freidrich

Today in Sport 4th January 2014

Today there are 200 days until the start of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The FIS Cross Country Skiing Tour de Ski travels to Val de Fiemme for the weekend. Today it is the men's 10km followed by the women's 5km. Russia's Nikita Kriukov is currently leading the men's sprint rankings and Germany's Denise Herrmann leads the ladies.

In ski jumping the men move to Innsbruck for the third competition in this year's Four Hills Competition. Thomas Diethart of Austria is currently leading the competition but didn't lead qualification, that honour went to Swiss jumper Thomas Fannamel. The women meanwhile are preparing for their debut at next month's Winter Olympics with a trip to another Russian hill at Chaikovsky. Sara Takanashiof Japan won the first of two events there this week yesterday, she has won all four of the events so far and has maximum points on the women's world cup tour. Behind her the competition is between Daniela Iraschko (AUT), Carina Vogt (GER) and Irina Avvakumova (RUS).

Today in Freestyle skiing the women are taking on the Moguls in Calgary.

In Winterberg Germany the 4 men bob (heat 2) and women's skeleton (heat 1 and heat 2)are taking place. Current leader of the 4-man bob world cup is Steven Holcomb USA, from Max Arndt GER, Chris Spring CAN and Alexander Kasjanov RUS. While in the women's skeleton Liz Yarnold GBR leads from her compatriot Shelly Rudman then Anja Huber GER and Noelle Pikus-Pierce USA.

Meanwhile athletics in the form of Cross Country comes to Northern Ireland with the Antrim IAAF International event. The men's field is headed by World Champion Japhet Korir KEN, he will face tough competition from his countryman Emmanuel Bett and Ugandan Thomas Ayeko. In the women's race Ireland's Fionnula Britton is looking to defend her title against opposition that included Gemma Steel GBR and Bahrain two time 1500m world champion Maryam Jamal.

Britain's wonderful winter sports weekend

It has been a good weekend for Team GB's winter sports competitors, a year ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

First up on Friday in the skeleton bob at St. Moritz Shelley Rudman followed on from Kristan Bromley her partner's win in 2008 by taking the world title. She said she only considered this year a development year ahead of the Olympics, where she hopes to emulate Britain's defending champion Amy Williams in their event.

Then today after the penultimate round of the short track speed skating world cup in the Olympic venue at Sochi, Glasgow's Elise Christie, came second, which was good enough after her performance this season to ensure she cannot be overtaken for the 1000m title.

Back in St. Moritz today the men's 4-man bobsleigh came 5th just 0.07 secs away from a medal and 0.66 secs behind the gold medal winning German crew.