Canada’s Cynthia Appiah secured the silver medal in the women’s monobob event at the IBSF World Cup held in Winterberg, Germany over the weekend. This accomplishment marked a significant achievement for Appiah, hailing from Toronto, as she matched her career-best performance.
With a combined time of one minute and 58.53 seconds over two heats, Appiah clinched her first World Cup monobob medal of the season and her eighth career medal in the discipline. Reflecting on her success, Appiah expressed her elation, stating, “This feels amazing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my back.”
The gold medal in the event was claimed by Germany’s Laura Nolte, who finished with a time of 1:58.37, securing her second monobob World Cup victory of the season and her fifth medal in five attempts. Another German athlete, Lisa Buckwitz, took home the bronze with a time of 1:58.57.
Appiah initially stood in fourth place after the first heat but managed to climb two spots by delivering the fastest run in the final heat, clocking in at 59.38 seconds. Expressing her satisfaction with her performance, Appiah remarked, “It’s great to have the fastest run again. It’s something I haven’t had since the last Olympic season. To have the fastest down time in the second run, especially on a German track where you know it’s going to be a tough battle, is huge.”
Former Canadian competitor Kaillie Humphries represented the United States with a fifth-place finish. Melissa Lotholz from Barrhead, Alta., tied with American Elana Meyers Taylor for sixth place, while the reigning world champion, Kaysha Love from the U.S., finished in eighth place.