Canada’s Cynthia Appiah clinched the silver medal in the women’s monobob event at the IBSF World Cup held in Winterberg, Germany on Saturday, achieving her career-best performance. Appiah, hailing from Toronto, completed the two heats in a total time of one minute and 58.53 seconds. This victory marked her first monobob World Cup medal of the season and her eighth in the discipline throughout her career.
Expressing her joy, Appiah stated, “This feels amazing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my back.” The gold was secured by Germany’s Laura Nolte with a time of 1:58.37, claiming her second monobob World Cup triumph of the season and the fifth medal in five attempts. Meanwhile, Lisa Buckwitz, also from Germany, secured the bronze with a time of 1:58.57.
Initially positioned in fourth place after the first heat, Appiah moved up two spots by delivering the fastest run (59.38) in the final heat. She commented, “It’s great to have the fastest run again. It’s something I haven’t had since the last Olympic season. To have the fastest down time in the second run, especially on a German track where you know it’s going to be a tough battle, is huge.”
Former Canadian athlete Kaillie Humphries led the way for the United States, finishing in fifth place. Melissa Lotholz from Barrhead, Alta., tied with American Elana Meyers Taylor for sixth place, while the reigning world champion Kaysha Love from the U.S. settled for eighth place in the competition.