SIGULDA, Latvia  — Team veteran Brittany Reinbolt and Olympic silver medalist Lauren Gibbs finished fifth in the KOA-branded BMW sled Friday to lead Team USA in the season opening women’s bobsled World Cup in Sigulda, Latvia.

Three-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor and 2018 USA Bobsled National Push Champion Sylvia Hoffman were in bronze medal position after the first heat, but the pair was disqualified because the sled was underweight.

“It’s weird that it’s December and this is the first World Cup of the season,” Reinbolt said. “Since trials in October I’ve been trying to stay focused on staying positive and seeing the big picture, and I think I’ve been able to do that leading into this race. It’s tough learning another new track, but I think we figured some things out.”

The last time women’s bobsled raced a World Cup on the Latvian course was in February 2004. Meyers Taylor, the most experienced women’s competitor on the U.S. team, didn’t begin the sport until 2007, while Reinbolt didn’t start bobsledding until 2011.

“It’s not like any track I’ve ever driven before,” Reinbolt said. 

Germany’s Stephanie Schneider and Maureen Zimmer crashed before Reinbolt and Gibbs took their first run, leading to a hold on the track. Despite the disruption, the Americans were able to push the KOA branded sled to a start time of 5.49 seconds for a run of 52.07 seconds to put them in the top six heading into the final heat.

Reinbolt and Gibbs improved their start time to 5.45 seconds in run two and Reinbolt piloted the golden KOA branded sled to the finish in 52.00 seconds for a total time of 1:44.07.

“Gibbs is awesome,” Reinbolt said. “She helped get us in position to be in contention for the medals.”

Reigning Olympic champions Mariama Jamanka and Annika Drazek from Germany were victorious with a combined time of 1:42.68, a distant 0.61 seconds ahead of Russians Sergeeva Nadezhda and Yulia and Belomestnykh in second place. Germany’s Anna Koehler and Lisa Sophie Gericke capitalized on the American’s disqualification to claim bronze in 1:43.50.

Hoffman started her World Cup career with a start record by helping Meyers Taylor power the BMW sled off the start block in 5.31 seconds. The team crossed the finish line in 51.58 seconds for the third-best time of the first heat, but they were disqualified when the sled weighed in underweight. Despite the disappointing start to the season, Meyers Taylor was in the coach’s box at the start cheering on her teammates as they vied for a top-six finish.

Jamanka and Drazek set a new start record of 5.30 seconds in the final heat.

The Sigulda event continues this weekend with men’s skeleton and two-man bobsled Saturday, followed by women’s skeleton and a second two-man bobsled race on Sunday.

EUROPEAN CUP

KOENIGSSEE, Germany — Austin Florian led USA Skeleton with fourth- and eighth-place finishes in the men’s European Cup races held in Koenigssee, Germany on Thursday and Friday.

“I’m very excited for how this week went,” Florian said. “I’ve never been to Koenigssee before, so these are my first runs here. Our goal was for me to gain some runs on this track before I get here for the World Cup in January.”

Competing in only his third season, Florian finished team trials as the third ranked men’s athlete to earn a spot on the World Cup team. He had a breakout season on the North American Cup last year, winning six medals en route to the circuit’s overall title, and has been racing the European Cup tour to gain experience on the tracks before joining the World Cup squad next week in Winterberg, Germany.

“Competing these couple of weeks I feel will be very beneficial to my comfort on these European tracks going into the World Cup season,” Florian said. “I am very excited to meet back up with the team next week and get my first World Cup start under my belt.”

Racing the German track for the first time in his young career Thursday, Florian posted an impressive finish time of 51.60 seconds to place him in bronze medal position. The up-and-coming competitor slipped back into fourth with the sixth best time of the second heat, 51.96 seconds. Florian clocked identical start times of 4.70 seconds in the two heat race, and finished a mere 0.08 seconds from the medals with a combined time of 1:43.56.

German Fabian Kuechler claimed gold for the host nation with a two-run combined time of 1:42.75. Russian Evgeniy Rukosuev finished second in 1:43.23, followed by Lukas David Nydegger from Germany in third with a total time of 1:43.48. 

Intercontinental Cup team member Stephen Garbett was the second U.S. competitor entered into Thursday’s race. Garbett narrowly missed the cutoff for a second run with a first heat time of 53.33 seconds, placing him in 21st.

Florian struggled in Friday’s first heat, posting a time of 52.18 seconds for 10th position after clocking a start time of 4.82. The American bettered his push time to 4.76 in run two for a faster run time of 51.98 seconds, moving him up into eighth with a combined time of 1:44.16. 

China’s Wengang Yan denied the Germans a sweep of the men’s gold by securing Friday’s victory in 1:42.85. Kuechler was second in 1:42.92, followed by his German teammate Cedric Renner in third with a total time of 1:43.34. 

Intercontinental Cup racer Mike Rogals (Orwell, Vermont) stayed in Europe to split the Koenigssee races with Garbett. Rogals finished 17th Friday with a combined time of 1:45.30 after sliding runs of 53.03 and 52.27 seconds. His second run time was 10th best of the heat.

Samantha Culiver (Scottsdale, Arizona), also an Intercontinental Cup team member that stayed in Europe to race in Koenigssee, finished 15th and 12th in the women’s races. Culiver posted starts of 5.23 and 5.21 for runs of 54.77 and 53.90 seconds Thursday to finish 15th in 1:48.67.

Hannah Neise from Germany claimed gold in 1:46.08, followed by her teammate Janine Becker in second with a 1:46.14. Ashleigh Fay Pittaway of Great Britain finished third with a total time of 1:46.39.

Culiver bettered her finish to 12th place Friday with a combined time of 1:48.64. The American clocked push times of 5.26 and 5.12 for runs of 54.40 and 54.24 seconds, respectively.

Becker was Friday’s victor in 1:46.38. Pittaway earned silver with a cumulative time of 1:46.71, while Neise claimed bronze in 1:46.97.

The European Cup will now break for holiday, resuming in Altenberg, Germany from January 7-12. The Intercontinental Cup will pick back up from January 14-19 on home ice in Park City, Utah. Florian will remain in Europe to make his World Cup debut next week in Winterberg.