Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) made history with his USA-1 push crew of Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas), Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) and Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.) as the first U.S. pilot ever to sweep the two and four-man bobsled World Championship races. USA-1 held a slight lead of 0.01 seconds after yesterday’s first two heats at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and pulled ahead by 0.50 seconds in the finale to convincingly claim the trophy.
Watch the final run here:
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Holcomb said. “You work so hard to get there that when you finally do it takes some time to sink in. It’s the first time we’ve won all three events, so it’s a great feeling.”
The U.S. claimed five medals, including four gold, to mark the most successful World Championships for the program. Holcomb swept all three of his events by winning the two-man bobsled and team event titles a week ago from today.
The crew was fueled by “USA” chants at the start before powering off the block for a push time of 4.94 seconds in the third run. Holcomb navigated the BMW sled down the course with ease and pulled ahead of the field by 0.21 seconds after clocking a blazing run of 53.92. Before the finale, Holcomb tweeted: “Solid first run. Need to relax, stay focused, and do it one more time. Let’s bring it home!”
“I was nervous going into the second run,” Holcomb said. “We were ahead by two-tenths, but you know I lost two-tenths in the two-man at the bottom. I had to make sure I was focused the whole way down. The great pushes at the start gave me some room to make some mistakes.”
USA-1 validated their reputation as the fastest push team in the world by again dominating off the block with a start time of 4.95 seconds. Team members and fans cheered at the finish as USA-1 gained time on their competition during their final descent, reaching speeds of up to 130.49 km/h. Holcomb extended USA-1’s lead to 0.50 seconds with a four-run combined time of 3:36.83, and they were greeted with a barrage of hugs and high-fives from team members as they climbed out of the sled at the finish.
“It’s awesome (to hear USA cheers), and it’s great to have a hometown crowd,” Holcomb said. “That is why it’s awesome to compete in World Championships in your home country, because you have all the support.”
Final Results:
1. Holcomb, Olsen, Langton and Tomasevicz (USA) 3:36.83 (54.34, 54.58, 53.92, 53.99); 2. Arndt, Roediger, Kuske and Putze (GER) 3:37.33 (54.19, 54.74, 54.12, 54.28); 3. Machata, Huebenbecker, Bredau and Poser (GER) 3:37.63 (54.38, 54.82, 54.25, 54.18);…13. Cunningham, Beckom, Quinn and Robinson (USA) 3:39.68 (55.21, 55.35, 54.53, 54.59);…Napier, Berkeley, Clark and Fogt (USA) DSQ;