Skeleton
IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
The 2021-22 edition of the Skeleton World Cup ends with a great surprise. On the splendid Olympia track in Sankt Moritz, Jaclyn Narracott invents the race of life and gives herself and above all Australia the first ever victory in the top skeleton circuit.
Friday 14 January 2022 8 minutes reading time
The thirty-one year old from Queensland who had never gone beyond seventh place in her career (Lake Placid January 2016), today was nothing short of perfect making the difference during the first descent, where taking advantage of the high bib she benefited of the best track conditions and an excellent sled set up, to establish by far the best chronometric reference of the day. In the second descent, the former sprinter showed great maturity, not letting himself be taken by the emotion for the amazing result obtained in the first round, disputing a precise final heat and closing again in command.
With this surprising result Jaclyn Narracott, nephew of art (uncle Paul was the first Australian ever to compete in both the Summer Olympics in the 100 and 200 meters and in the winter Olympics in the two-man bobsleigh) succeeds where previously his illustrious compatriots Michelle Steele, Emma Lincoln-Smith and Lucy Chaffer had "failed", giving Australia but also the whole of Oceania their first historic triumph in the skeleton.
On the day of the first time for Australia, the first historic World Cup also arrived and at the same time also the first European title for the Netherlands thanks to a formidable Kimberley Bos, second and only athlete today to stand on times of Narracott. The Dutchwoman on the most iconic track of the calendar won the coveted Crystal Ball with full merit, thanks to a perfect season characterized by a consistency of performance on the podium worthy of the greatest champions of this discipline, which brought her the beauty of 6 podiums out of 8 races and above all gave her two victories. Now to seal a stellar winter, Bos is called in mid-February to confirm the favors of the prediction in the most awaited appointment, the Olympic one, on a track where, apart from the Chinese, all start on the same level.
Third place for an excellent Mirela Rahneva trailing 66/100 from the winner, who takes the second podium of the season and overtakes the Austrian Janine Flock in the final heat. Fifth position but European bronze medal for the blue Valentina Margaglio, author as a week ago of an extraordinary second descent that made her go up 4 positions. The standard-bearer of the Gruppo Sportivo delle Fiamme Azzurre must complain about a first heat in which she messed up a bit too much in the long stretch following the exit from the starting tracks and some inaccuracies in the interpretation of the lower part of the long Swiss track , without which today he could again have been in the game for the podium. Valentina can still be satisfied with today's test, and after a season that has consecrated her among the best 6 on the world circuit, she must look to the Beijing 2022 Games by aiming for something that until last summer could have seemed like a dream .. .
A new page in the history of sport was also written in the men's test. The champion Martins Dukurs in fact dominated the last round of the season thus taking the 12th European title of his career in one fell swoop and above all he put the 11th World Cup on the board, thus exceeding the record of individual Crystal Balls conquered by two "masters" of the gut disciplines who respond to the name of Armin Zoeggeler and Markus Prock.
A good injection of confidence for the Latvian champion who had started the season a little quietly and who in the last two races seems to have found a smile and confidence in his own means. Two important aspects that will allow him in a month to better face what in all probability will be the last race of his career, the Olympic test in Beijing 2022. In China, the greatest skeleton performer in the history of the the only title he misses in his incredible career: the Olympic gold medal.
Behind the Baltic were the Germans Alexander Gassner, with the best result of the season, and Christopher Grotheer who returned to the podium after his opaque performance seven days ago in Winterberg. In Casa Italia there are the 16th and 17th places of Amedeo Bagnis and Mattia Gaspari with the latter having to complain a little for the various mistakes made in both descents without which in all probability he could have been in the top10. It should be noted that thanks to the excellent results achieved throughout the season, both Azzurri qualified with full merit for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. In the history of skeleton, Italy had never fielded two men at the start of an Olympic event. ..
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