Canadian Olympic gold medalist Justin Kripps of Summerland, British Columbia piloted Team Canada to a gold medal victory at a four-man World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland on Sunday. Kripps was in a sled with Ryan Sommer of Calgary, Alberta, Cameron Stones of Oshawa, Ontario and Benjamin Coakwell of Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Canadian team posted a winning time of two minutes, 11.12 seconds. Latvia, led by driver Oskars Kibermanis, won the silver medal with a time of two minutes, 11.25 seconds. Germany’s Johannes Lochner won the bronze medal with a time of two minutes, 11.46 seconds. Kripps reached the podium by 0.56 seconds over Nico Walther of Germany, who had a fourth place time of two minutes, 11.68 seconds.
This was Kripps’s third gold medal this season in four man. He also placed first in Lake Placid, New York on December 14 and December 15. Kripps also reached the podium by winning bronze at a World Cup in Konigssee, Germany on January 26.
Germany’s Francesco Friedrich is the World Cup four-man bobsled champion with 1686 points. Lochner was second with 1649 points and Kripps was third with 1603 points. The four-man competition at the 2020 World Bobsleigh and Skeleton Championships will take place February 29 and March 1 from Altenberg, Germany.
Kripps won his Olympic gold medal with brakeman Alexander Kopacz of London, Ontario at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The gold medal for Kripps, Sommer, Stones and Coakwell will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
