Summerland native Justin Kripps has done it again, earning a second set of back-to-back bronze medals to finish the World Cup Season.
The weekend races in Latvia ended with Canada’s two-man bobsleigh third overall for the World Cup rankings ahead of the World Championship.
“It was really good today. These are the first races we have had on this track, so we were just trying to get in the medals. We managed to get on the podium in both races, so we achieved our goal,” said Kripps.
Kripps, the reigning Olympic champion, was joined by CFL wide receiver Sam Giguere for the first time on Sunday. Together, the two clocked a two-run time of 1:39.59 for Kripps’ 17th medal and Giguere’s first.
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After their first run down the 16 corner course put them in fifth, they climbed back up to the podium with the second-fastest time of the day at 49.81 seconds.
“The ice conditions were a bit different for the first few sleds who had a bit of an advantage today. We had two good pushes and two good drives,” added Kripps. “This is a driver’s track. It is similar to Lake Placid in that it is very busy, there is lots of driving to do, but you also have to let the sled run.”
Cam Stones, the team’s regular brakeman, was resting this weekend in preparation for the World Championship.
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Oskars Kibermanis and Matiss Mikniss swept the golden step of the podium in front of thousands of screaming fans that lined the ice over the weekend. The Latvian’s posted the time to beat at 1:39.18. Switzerland’s Simon Friedli and Gregory Jones were second at 1:39.54.
Together with his three brakemen, Kripps claimed third in the overall World Cup two-man standings as well as the weekend podiums. Alongside the two bronze medals this weekend, the team also earned another two bronze medals and a silver over the season’s eight races.
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