Mirela Rahneva of Ottawa, Ontario won her 11th World Cup medal on Friday from St. Moritz, Switzerland. The medal is significant because it was the final World Cup women’s skeleton race before the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Rahneva posted a time of 2:18.22. She reached the podium by 0.14 seconds over Janine Flock of Austria, who had a fourth place time of 2:18.36. Jaclyn Narracott of Australia won the gold medal with a time of 2:17.56. Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands won the silver medal with a time of 2:17.62.
This was Rahneva’s second medal of the 2021-22 World Cup season. She previously placed third in a World Cup in Winterberg, Germany on December 12.
Narracott meanwhile made skeleton history. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, she became the first Australian ever to win a World Cup gold in skeleton.
With the bronze medal, Rahneva finished in eighth place in the World Cup standings with 1168 points. Bos was the World Cup champion with 1600 points.
Next up for the world’s best skeleton racers is the Olympic Winter Games. The first two runs at the Xiaohaituo Bobsleigh and Luge Track is February 10, and the third and fourth runs are on February 11. Rahneva is definitely in the conversation as a legitimate Olympic medal contender.
