Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. is the leader at the midway point of the women’s bobsled world championship, after posting the fastest time in each of Friday’s first two runs of the competition.
Humphries, with Lauren Gibbs pushing, finished her two runs in 1 minute, 52.80 seconds. That puts her two-tenths of a second ahead of the German sled driven by Kim Kalicki and pushed by Kira Lipperheide.
Another German sled, driven by Stephanie Schneider and pushed by Leonie Fiebig, is in third, about a half-second off Humphries’ time.
Kaillie Humphries and Lauren Gibbs of the US compete during the two-woman bobsled competition at the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. (AP PhotoJens Meyer)
The final two runs are Saturday, when Humphries will look to finish off her third world championship and her first since 2013.
"There are still two more runs tomorrow and a lot can happen and change," Humphries said. "I'm going to treat tomorrow like another race. I'll debrief with the coaches to go over what worked and what didn't, and we'll come back tomorrow with our best."
This is Humphries’ first season racing with the U.S. She came to the American team after spending the entirety of her career with Canada before sitting out last season, saying she was verbally and mentally abused to the point where she no longer felt safe.
Germany's Stephanie Schneider and Leonie Fiebig compete during the two-woman bobsled competition at the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. (AP PhotoJens Meyer)
Germany's Kim Kalicki and Kira Lipperheide compete during the two-woman bobsled competition at the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. (AP PhotoJens Meyer)