LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — The latest addition to the list of amenities available to athletes at the bobsled and skeleton world championships is a room inside a lodge just down the hill from the finish line. There are some stuffed animals, tons of toys, Mickey Mouse coloring books and big boxes of crayons.
This is the family space. These days, it’s a needed part of the sliding circuit.
There are five mothers who have qualified to compete in the world championships that got underway Thursday in Lake Placid — U.S. skeleton athlete Kelly Curtis, Swiss bobsledder Nadja Pasternack and U.S. bobsledders Elana Meyers Taylor, Kaillie Humphries and Jasmine Jones. It’s believed to be the highest number of mothers who qualified for a single world championships, event organizers said.
“They haven’t forgotten about us,” Curtis said.
All four women missed time from competing during their pregnancies — for Meyers Taylor, it’s been two absences, since she’s a mom of two now. But the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, the governing body for those two sports, decided in recent years to protect women who wanted to add to their families by ensuring that they didn’t lose their world rankings while taking the time off.
That means they were able to jump right back into World Cup racing when they were ready to do so — and not having to start from the bottom of the rankings means the path to qualify for the next Olympics in February 2026 became a bit easier.
“I wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could come back,” said Humphries, the only three-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s bobsled history. “I didn’t want to feed into what I heard for the majority of my career, that having a baby ends your career. I didn’t want that to be the case. And so, a big part for me was proving I could come back and do it, regardless of the results, regardless of how it all plays out.”
The kids seem to have their own followings at the track at this point. Bobsled and skeleton sliders are relatively close-knit, with people seeing the same people at tracks around the world all winter. Meyers Taylor, Humphries and Curtis have all said since becoming mothers that they rely on their friends and teammates for help when needed, and for the most part they travel with their partners or families for support.
In a social media post earlier this year, Meyers Taylor discussed how her sons were both born deaf and how one also has Down syndrome — and how the decision to have them with her on the World Cup circuit was not an easy one to make.
“My fears were quickly laid to rest as I quickly realized not only would they have the opportunity to see the world, they would have an immense amount love poured into them on a daily basis by my (U.S.) teammates and the many many friends I’ve made throughout my years with bobsled,” wrote Meyers Taylor, who has a record five women’s Olympic bobsled medals.
Pasternack — who gave birth in December 2023, after going into labor while cheering on Swiss teammates at a race in La Plagne, France — returned to sliding just 12 weeks ago and qualified for the worlds team. But it remains unclear if she will actually race next week, officials said Thursday.
“Back like she never left,” German bobsledder Laura Nolte said earlier this season when Pasternack returned to the World Cup circuit.
Meyers Taylor and Humphries were tied for sixth in the World Cup standings this season in two-woman bobsled. Meyers Taylor was eighth in the world monobob standings this season with a pair of wins and conceivably could have been as high as fifth if the Americans hadn’t skipped the last race of the season to prepare for worlds. Curtis — who is a member of the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Italy, and someone who gave birth a little over a year ago — struggled for much of the season before hitting her best stride at the end; back-to-back seventh-place showings got her into the world championships. And Jones, the mother of a 4-year-old daughter, will be a push athlete for Kaysha Love's sled in the two-woman event next week.
“It's definitely hard and I have to remind myself of everything I'm doing and the reason why I'm doing it,” Jones said. “I'm glad I'm setting an example for other moms-to-be that they can come back and compete. It can be hard. It can be stressful. But if they can see other moms can do it, they know they can as well.”
It’s not new for moms to be competing as sliders. Curtis remembers the scene at the 2014 Olympics when U.S. skeleton athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace — then a mother of two — won a silver medal in Sochi and ran into the stands to celebrate with her family. That was the moment when Curtis decided to try sliding.
“The postpartum period, hormones, everything, the recalibration calibration has kind of taken me by a little bit more of a surprise,” Curtis said. “Physically, I’m back pushing to where I used to be, and I think the mind-body connection for the actual sliding, relaxation, part is taking longer to come back than I thought.”
No matter what happens over the next two weeks, whether medals are won or lost, the kids won’t care much. Humphries — one of the most driven athletes in the sport — says the challenge just of getting pregnant (she and her husband spent a fortune on fertility treatments before finally having success) and now being a mother has brought newfound perspective.
It’s a challenge for dads, too. U.S. bobsledder Frank Del Duca doesn’t have his child with him when he travels the world and makes no secret of how difficult that is. But he marvels at what Curtis, Humphries, Meyers Taylor and Pasternack can do.
“To have their body go through that transformation hormonally and to be able to provide for another human being, then to turn around and start lifting weights, sprinting, traveling, competing and winning on the world stage is one of the most impressive things I’ve witnessed in sport,” Del Duca said. “And they do it with a smile.”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
FILE - Kelly Curtis, of The United States, reacts in the finish area after the second run of the women's skeleton World Cup race on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
FILE - Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Lolo Jones, of the United States, speed down the track during the first run of the 2-woman bobsleigh, at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
FILE - From left, third placed Elana Meyers Taylor of USA and Laura Nolte of Germany celebrate on the podium during the award ceremony of the Women's Monobob World Cup race in Sigulda, Latvia, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Oksana Dzadan)
SYDNEY (AP) — Poland reached the United Cup final after Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski beat Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in a mixed doubles decider.
Poland will face Switzerland in Sunday’s final.
Kawa and Zielinski were decisive once again, having won the mixed-doubles decider in the quarterfinals against Australia. Six-time Grand Slam singles champion Iga Świątek rushed over to join the celebrations.
Earlier, Gauff beat the No. 2-ranked Świątek 6-4, 6-2 to force a mixed-doubles decider.
Fourth-ranked Gauff, the French Open champion, evened the matchup at 1-1 at the team event after Hubert Hurkacz beat Taylor Fritz 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) in the singles opener at Ken Rosewall Arena. It was Gauff's fourth straight victory over Świątek, the Wimbledon champion.
The Swiss advanced when Belinda Bencic combined with Jakub Paul in the deciding mixed doubles to defeat Belgium’s Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs 6-3, 0-6, 10-5.
Bencic has won all four of her singles matches and four in mixed doubles this week in the team event. Paul, who won just six tour-level doubles matches last year, hit several down-the-line winners at crucial moments to lead Switzerland into the final.
“He’s so brave it’s unbelievable,” Bencic said of Paul. “I tell him to go (for it) and he actually goes. It’s crazy."
Earlier, Bencic extended her undefeated season-opening singles streak when she beat Mertens 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) to put Switzerland ahead 1-0. But Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of this season, was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 by Bergs to send the match to a mixed doubles decider at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The turning point in the Wawrinka-Bergs match came in the eighth game of the third set when Bergs broke Wawrinka’s serve to go up 5-3, then held serve to win the match.
Tournament organizers started play 30 minutes earlier than scheduled with searing temperatures of up to 43 Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in the forecast for Sydney.
Bencic had won all six sets in her first three matches at the United Cup. She was two games away from another two-set win before Mertens pushed the match the distance.
Then Mertens came from 3-1 down in the third set, saved a pair of break points that would have given Bencic a 4-1 lead, and was two points away from the set win with Bencic serving at 30-30, down 6-5.
But Bencic won the last nine points of the match following a decision to change her racket to a freshly-strung one.
“It feels like 170 kilos fell off my shoulders — I was so stressed; I really wanted to do well, and today I felt so much pressure to not let my team down,” Bencic said.
On the racket change, she said: “My brain turned off and let my instincts take over. I think it was just a feeling."
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Coco Gauff of the U.S. right, and Iga Swiatek of Poland shake hands after Gauff won their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Christian Harrison, left, and Coco Gauff of the U.S. discuss tactics against Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski of Poland during their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Christian Harrison, left, and Coco Gauff of the U.S. compete against Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski of Poland during their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Katarzyna Kawa, center left, and Jan Zielinski, center right, of Poland celebrate with teammates after defeating Christian Harrison and Coco Gauff of the U.S. in their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Katarzyna Kawa, left, and Jan Zielinski of Poland celebrate defeating Christian Harrison and Coco Gauff of the U.S. in their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts after missing a shot to Coco Gauff of the U.S. in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. celebrates her win over Iga Swiatek of Poland in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Iga Swiatek of Poland hits a backhand to Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Iga Swiatek of Poland hits a forehand to Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. waits to return serve from Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. hits a forehand to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic, left, and Jakub Paul of Switzerland celebrate winning a point against Alise Mertens and Zizou Bergs of Belgium during their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Zizou Bergs of Belgium hits a backhand to Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Zizou Bergs of Belgium, right, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland shake hands after Bergs won their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic, second right, and Jakub Paul, right, of Switzerland shake hands with Alise Mertens, left, and Zizou Bergs of Belgium after Switzerland won their semifinal doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Alise Mertens of Belgium looks up after a rally against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, left and Alise Mertens of Belgium meet at the net after Bencic won their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates her win over Alise Mertens of Belgium in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, second left, celebrates with teammates after her win over Alise Mertens of Belgium in their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
