Contact: Amanda Bird, USABS Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
Meyers Taylor and Garrett make history with World Championship win
WINTERBERG, Germany (Feb. 28, 2015)- Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) andCherrelle Garrett (Hayward, Calif.) made history in Winterberg, Germany today as the first American women to win a bobsled World Championship title. Meyers Taylor also became the first U.S. driver, male or female, in 56 years to win a World Championship gold medal on a non-North American track. All three U.S. teams finished in the top six. Jamie Greubel Poser (Newtown, Pa.) and Lauren Gibbs(Denver, Colo.) finished fifth, while Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and Natalie DeRatt (Asheville, N.C.) were sixth.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion right now, I am so happy,” Meyers Taylor said. “It all came together thanks to great coaches, teammates and staff. Everybody worked so hard to get this, and I’m just so grateful and thankful.”
Meyers Taylor and Garrett powered the Under Armour wrapped BMW-made sled off the block for the fastest starts of the race by posting push times of 5.49 seconds in the final heats today. The duo broke their own track record in the third heat with a run of 56.62 seconds, giving them a monster lead of 0.45 seconds heading into the fourth and final run.
Despite the comfortable lead, Meyers Taylor and Garrett didn’t let down in the final run, racing to the finish in 56.56 seconds. Team Germany responded in the final run by setting the track record, but it only chipped away two-hundredths of a second from the gap. Meyers Taylor and Garrett secured the first U.S. women’s bobsled World Championship title with a combined time of 3:46.47.
“Cherrelle has been awesome, I’m so happy she decided to come back this season and I have to give her a large part of the credit for this win,” Meyers Taylor said. “Having her in my sled made all the difference in the world and I can’t say enough about how much she’s done. She’s incredible. I learned a lot about perseverance this season. The quality of the team around you makes such a huge difference, and there’s no more proof of that than this race. It takes a strong team around you to win this and to accomplish anything historic.”
Today’s win is the 10th World Championship medal for the U.S. women since the first-ever race was held in 2000, and it’s Meyers Taylor’s fourth World Championship podium finish. She’s collected a medal of every color- gold today, silver medals as a push athlete for Shauna Rohbock in 2009 and as a driver with Katie Eberling in 2013, and a bronze medal with Eberling in 2012. Meyers Taylor has also earned two Olympic medals, bronze in 2010 as a push athlete for Erin Pac and silver as a driver in 2014.
Meyers Taylor has been dominant this season, winning six of the eight World Cup races, and five victories were with Garrett as her push athlete. Meyers Taylor was the first U.S. women’s bobsled pilot to capture the overall World Cup title since Jean Prahm, formerly Racine, clinched the crown in 2001.
“I don’t think I can really grasp it all yet,” Meyers Taylor said. “I’m always focused on what’s in front of me, and it’s just amazing, I can’t believe it. To have such a strong program and be able to contribute to that history is really amazing. I can’t really put it into words right now, I’m just overwhelmed.”
Three German teams finished between Meyers Taylor and the two U.S. sleds driven by Greubel Poser and Fenlator. Germans Schneiderheinze and Annika Drazek claimed the silver medal with a combined time of 3:46.90 and broke the track record set by Meyers Taylor and Garrett with a final run of 56.54 seconds. Cathleen Martini and Stephanie Schenieder also claimed bronze for Germany with an aggregate time of 3:47.53. Stephanie Szczurek and Erline Nolte were fourth in 3:48.04.
Greubel Poser and Gibbs jumped two spots today to finish fifth in the KOA wrapped BMW-made sled with a four-run combined time of 3:48.10. The pair was seventh after the first two heats on Thursday, but they moved into the top-six after posting push times of 5.64 and 5.62 seconds for downtimes of 56.94 and 56.79 seconds, respectively.
Fenlator and DeRatt teamed together in the BMW-made sled dedicated to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play for sixth place after clocking a cumulative time of 3:48.33. The duo maintained their position heading into the final heats after clocking consistent starts of 5.72 and 5.74 for runs of 57.09 and 57.10 seconds today.
Universal Sports will broadcast the final heats of World Championships on same day delay. Visit UniversalSports.com for schedule updates and streaming times.
World Championships continue tomorrow with the men’s two-man bobsled final heats at 10:30 a.m. local time, followed by the team event at 3 p.m. local time.
Get updates on the team as they race around the world by following USA Bobsled & Skeleton on Facebook, USBSF on Twitter and USABS on Instagram. Media questions can be directed to Amanda Bird, USABS Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250.
Results
1. Elana Meyers Taylor and Cherrelle Garrett (USA) 3:46.47 (56.65, 56.64, 56.62, 56.56); 2. Anja Schneiderheinze and Annika Drazek (GER) 3:46.90 (57.00, 56.68, 56.68, 56.54); 3. Cathleen Martini and Stephanie Schenieder (GER) 3:47.53 (56.82, 56.99, 56.83, 56.89);…5. Jamie Greubel Poser and Lauren Gibbs (USA) 3:48.10 (57.36, 57.01, 56.94, 56.79); 6. Jazmine Fenlator and Natalie DeRatt (USA) 3:48.33 (57.15, 56.99, 57.09, 57.10);
About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Century 21 Real Estate, Under Armour, Kampgrounds of America, Boomerang Carnets, Azad Watches, Latta USA, Park City Lodging, Inc., Classroom Champions, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at www.usbsf.com.
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Century 21 Real Estate, Under Armour, Kampgrounds of America, Boomerang Carnets, Azad Watches, Latta USA, Park City Lodging, Inc., Classroom Champions, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at www.usbsf.com.
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