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BEIJING (AP) — Laura Nolte and Mariama Jamanka added to Germany’s report haul of Olympic medals.
Elana Meyers Taylor prolonged her medal report, too.
The German sliding domination of the Beijing Video games continued Saturday, with Nolte driving to gold and Jamanka profitable the silver within the ladies’s bobsled competitors — and Meyers Taylor, in probably her final race, grabbed the bronze for the fifth medal of her Olympic profession.
That’s greater than any Black athlete in Winter Olympic historical past, probably the most by any ladies’s bobsledder on the Olympics and two greater than every other Olympic bobsledder, male or feminine, has gained for the US.
“That’s overwhelming,” Meyers Taylor mentioned. “It’s so loopy to listen to that stat and know that I’m a part of a legacy that’s greater than me.”
Nolte and Deborah Levi gained with ease, ending 4 runs in 4 minutes, 3.96 seconds. Jamanka, the 2018 Olympic champion, and Alexandra Burghardt have been second in 4:04.73. Meyers Taylor and Olympic rookie Sylvia Hoffman have been third in 4:05.48.
“I can’t consider it,” Nolte mentioned. “It’s what we’ve wished all alongside. This was our dream. Profitable Olympic gold was our dream.”
Gold was Meyers Taylor’s dream, too.
However a fifth medal — clearly, she wasn’t disillusioned in anyway.
Meyers Taylor smacked the highest of her sled in celebration as she crossed the road understanding that the medal was clinched, hopped out and gave Hoffman a hug earlier than throwing her fists into the air.
“I went with the quickest girl out right here, as a result of I’m the quickest brakewoman out right here,” mentioned Hoffman, who needs to start out driving.
Germany’s Kim Kalicki moved as much as fourth in 4:06.28, Canada’s Christine de Bruin was fifth in 4:06.37, Switzerland’s Melanie Hasler drove to sixth in 4:06.83 and the U.S. staff of monobob gold medalist Kaillie Humphries — battling a proper leg harm that adversely impacted her begin instances — and Olympic rookie Kaysha Love fell to seventh in 4:07.04.
“It hurts, I gained’t lie,” Humphries mentioned. “I gave each ounce of the whole lot I needed to the final two days and it wasn’t there. I’m happy with the work that we put in and what we put into it. It sucks and it’s infuriating to know that it wasn’t adequate, however on the finish of the day, that’s racing. We are able to’t be terrified of not being one of the best. Each Kaysha and I had big targets on our again coming in and I’m so happy with what we did collectively.”
Humphries plans on lacking the subsequent one or two seasons to start out a household. She insisted Saturday evening that she’s going to race at one last Olympics in 2026.
“On the finish of the day, my physique simply gave up,” Humphries mentioned. “My calf did, anyway. And I believe my thoughts, just a little bit, too. I simply hit a wall and didn’t have it.”
Mentioned Love, who needs to be taught to drive: “I’m so happy with us. The expertise that she’s given me at my first Olympic Video games, it’s unmatched.”
Germany now has eight golds — in 9 occasions — and 14 medals total within the three sliding sports activities on the Beijing Olympics. The Germans will doubtless add to that on the ultimate day in Beijing, since they’ve the highest two sleds on the midpoint of the four-man competitors that may finish Sunday. They have already got extra golds, and extra medals, in sliding occasions than any nation ever has at any Olympics.
What the Germans have finished at these Olympics is historic.
And what Meyers Taylor has finished on the final 4 Olympics can be historic.
She’s now certainly one of solely 4 bobsledders ever to compete in a minimum of 5 Olympic races and medal in all of them. She grew to become the fifth American bobsledder to win two medals in a single Olympics — pilot Stan Benham and pusher Pat Martin did it in 1952, pilot Steven Holcomb and pusher Steve Langton did it in 2014. And, because of ladies having two occasions on the Olympics for the primary time this 12 months, she’s going to perpetually be the primary feminine bobsledder to win two medals on the similar Video games.
“It meant so much to me to have her assist my profession objectives,” Hoffman mentioned.
Meyers Taylor’s totals, together with her Olympic debut as a push athlete: three silvers, two bronzes. The Beijing medals have been a silver behind Humphries in monobob, and now this bronze.
“She’s already a legend within the sport,” U.S. males’s push athlete Carlo Valdes mentioned. “One other medal simply provides to all of the accolades, actually. … She’s in a league of her personal and it’s cool to observe.”
Barring some large comeback by Hunter Church or Frank DelDuca within the four-man race that ends Sunday, USA Bobsled will finish the Beijing Video games with three medals. The Individuals gained 4 in bobsled on the 1932 and 2014 Video games; in addition they gained three in 1948 and 2002.
“For us to have three medals on this Olympics, that’s a grand slam contemplating the place we’re coming from with Kaillie’s citizenship and Elana having COVID two weeks in the past,” U.S. bobsled coach Mike Kohn mentioned.
Certainly, this highway was removed from a straightforward one for the Individuals.
Humphries didn’t even know till December, when she obtained citizenship, that she would have the ability to compete in Beijing. And Meyers Taylor was in isolation when the Olympics began after testing optimistic for the coronavirus, that means she had to surrender her position as one of many two U.S. flagbearers on the opening ceremony.
She’ll carry the U.S. flag into the closing ceremony on Sunday. After two weeks of driving quick, a pleasant gradual stroll could be the proper solution to transition into no matter comes subsequent.
“I’m going to take a while and actually take into consideration this,” Meyers Taylor mentioned. “It’s going to be actually laborious to prime this Olympics. Two medals and now closing it out with flagbearer, it’s going to be actually laborious to prime that.”
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Extra AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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