POSTED: Friday January 22nd 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mellisa Hollingsworth Wins Overall World Cup Skeleton Title, Humphries/Mosye win Bobsleigh Bronze

Mellisa Hollingsworth Wins Overall World Cup Skeleton Title with Bronze Medal Finish in Austria

—Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse win bronze medal in women’s bobsleigh—
IGLS, Aut.—Canada’s Mellisa Hollingsworth will head to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games as the number-one ranked skeleton athlete in the world.
The 29-year-old Hollingsworth accomplished her first major goal of the season of winning the Overall World Cup title by winning the bronze on Friday in Igls, Austria.
“I am very, very happy to win the overall title and I can’t think of a more perfect position with fresh ice and my home track in front of me than having that number one bib in Whistler,” said Hollingsworth, who will now be the first athlete out of the gate in the 2010 Olympic race. “It was really special to hear O’ Canada today, and it made me teary-eyed thinking ‘what if’ with the Olympics up next. But I can’t get ahead of myself.”
The Eckville, Alta. native won seven medals in eight races this year, including two gold, two silver and three bronze, to post 1,646 points and top spot in the overall standings. Shelley Rudman, of Great Britain, finished second in the overall standings with 1,688 points.
Hollingsworth has taken a similar track to the 2010 Games as she did en route to winning her Olympic bronze medal in 2006 where she became the first athlete to podium in all eight races including the Olympic Games.
Battling a bad cold and sprained ribs over the last two weeks in Europe, Hollingsworth was in second spot after her first run, but held on for the podium after clocking a two-run time of one minute 49.96 seconds.
“The start is very important in Igls and I didn’t know if I’d have it at the start because I have lost a lot of my strength,” said Hollingsworth. “I had two decent runs, and getting on the podium today was just a bonus to secure that number one spot.”
Germany’s Anja Huber took home the final gold medal of the season with a two-run time of 1:49.57, while Germany’s Kerstin Szymkowiak was second at 1:49.93.
Carla Pavan, of Lethbridge, Alta., was the only other Canadian and finished 14th (1:51.20).
The bronze medal track to the podium continued for the Canadian women in bobsleigh action on Friday.
Calgary’s Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse, of Summerside, P.E.I., locked up second spot in the overall women’s bobsleigh standings after winning a bronze medal with a two-run time of 1:47.46.
“This was more confirmation for me today that I know I can be in the top-three,” said Humphries. “I know that I have one of the best with Heather behind me, I have the equipment and I know that I can do it.”
Humphries and Moyse have definitely proved to the world they will be heavy medal favourites at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games after shattering start records at the world’s best tracks, while teaming up to win one gold, one silver and two bronze medals during the eight-race season.
“Consistency is the key and the more times you get on the podium, the more you start to believe it,” said Humphries. “Heather is a powerhouse and finishing the World Cup off this way gives us more confidence heading into the Olympics.”

Humphries and Moyse were two of the Canadian athletes who narrowly missed getting the flu which has been ripping its way through the bobsleigh circuit.
Canada’s Helen Upperton hit the start line after spending Thursday in the hospital with the flu.
Extremely week, Calgary’s Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown, of Pickering, Ont., finished in a tie for seventh spot at 1:48.05 with the other Canadian sled piloted by Calgary’s Amanda Stepenko with Amanda Moreley, of Surrey, B.C., on the brakes.
Shauna Rohbock and Michelle Rzepka took top spot in the USA 1 sled after clocking-in at 1:47.13. Cathleen Martini and Romy Logsch locked up second spot in Germany 2 at 1:47.44.
The World Cup continues on Saturday in Igls, Austria with men’s skeleton and bobsleigh.
For more information on Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, please visit us at http://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca on the Internet.
FOR COMPLETE RESULTS: http://www.fibt.com
Top-Five Women’s Skeleton Results:
1.Anja Huber, GER, 1:49.57; 2. Kerstin Szymkowiak, GER, 1:49.93; 3. Mellisa Hollingsworth, Eckville, Alta., 1:49.96; 4. Shelley Rudman, GBR, 1:50.25; 5. Noelle Pikus-Pace, USA, 1:50.43
Other Canadian Results:
14. Carla Pavan, Lethbridge, Alta., 1:51.20
Top-Five Women’s Bobsleigh Results:
1. Rohbock/Rzepka, USA 1, 1:47.13; 2. Martini/Logsch, GER 2, 1:47.44; 3. Humphries, Calgary/Moyse, Summerside, P.E.I., CAN 1, 1:47.46; 4. Pac/Meyers, USA 2, 1:47.51; 5. Hafner/Schenk, SUI 1, 1:47.61
Other Canadian Results:
T7. Amanda Stepenko, Calgary/Amanda Moreley, Surrey, B.C., CAN 3, 1:48.05; T7. Helen Upperton, Calgary/Shelley-Ann Brown, CAN 2, 1:48.05.

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Keywords · Mellisa Hollingsworth · World Cup Skeleton

Name: Chris Dornan
Organization: Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton
Email:
Phone: 281-703-4394
URL: http://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca

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