Bobsleigh 2018/Women's two

Women's two
General information
Sport	Bobsleigh 2018
Date	20-21 February 2018
Competitors	20 pairs
Venue	Alpensia Sliding Centre
Previous medalists
Gold	Kaillie Humphries Heather Moyse
Silver	Elana Meyers Lauryn Williams
Bronze	Aja Evans Jamie Greubel
Conditions
Temperature	Day 1: -2°C / 28.4°F Day 2: -5°C / 23°F
Length	1376 metres
Medalists
	Lisa Buckwitz Mariama Jamanka
	Lauren Gibbs Elana Meyers Taylor
	Phylicia George Kaillie Humphries

The women's two of Bobsleigh 2018 during the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 20-21 February 2018 in the Alpensia Sliding Centre. With 20 pairs competing, the event was won by Lisa Buckwitz and Mariama Jamanka from Germany, with Lauren Gibbs and Elana Meyers Taylor from USA taking the silver medal and Phylicia George and Kaillie Humphries from Canada taking bronze.

Format

The competition exists out of four heats spread out over two days, with all teams taking part in all four heats. The team with the lowest aggregate time over two days is the winner.

Preview

Twenty pairs qualified for the event, and the competition was wide open, but the most attention would probably go out to Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse, one of whom could become the first bobsledder to win the gold medal three times in a row. Elana Meyers Taylor won the bronze medal in 2010 and the silver medal in 2014, and would hope to get one up this time, but the German teams were strong too, with Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz ranked third in the world. Aja Evans and Jamie Greubel Poser were the defending bronze medalists and had recorded an unofficial track record in the practice heats. Seun Adigun and Akuoma Omeoga were the first Nigerians to ever compete at the Winter Olympic Games, while Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell were the first Jamaicans to represent the country in Olympic bobsleigh.

Current Records

Record	Date	Nat.	Name	Time
TR	18 March 2017		Lolo Jones	51.71
			Elana Meyers Taylor

Summary

Heat 1

The competition was started off by the home team of Kim Yoo-ran and Kim Min-seong, who already recorded a time almost half a second below the track record. This time would stand until the world number ones Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George descended, who were another half a second faster than the Koreans. However, all four teams after them also recorded a faster time, with the Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs being the fastest, 0.02 seconds apart from Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz. The sleds of pilots Jamie Greubel Poser and Stephanie Schneider also followed within 0.2 seconds from Meyers Taylor. Just like in the men's two, the British sled surprised with a fast time, a quarter of a second behind the leaders on sixth place, even in front of two-time Olympic champion Heather Moyse.

Heat 1 Results
Rank	Nat.	Athletes		Time
1		Elana Meyers Taylor	Lauren Gibbs	50.52
2		Mariama Jamanka	Lisa Buckwitz	50.54
3		Jamie Greubel Poser	Aja Evans	50.59
4		Stephanie Schneider	Annika Drazek	50.63
5		Kaillie Humphries	Phylicia George	50.72
6		Mica McNeill	Mica Moore	50.77
7		Alysia Rissling	Heather Moyse	50.81
8		Sabina Hafner	Rahel Rebsamen	50.86
9		Christine de Bruin	Melissa Lotholz	50.94
10		Elfje Willemsen	Sara Aerts	51.03
11		Maria Adela Constantin	Andreea Grecu	51.17
12		Anna Koehler	Erline Nolte	51.21
13		Christina Hengster	Valerie Kleiser	51.23
14		An Vannieuwenhuyse	Sophie Vercruyssen	51.24
14		Kim Yoo-ran	Kim Min-seong	51.24
16		Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian	Carrie Russell	51.29
16		Aleksandra Rodionova	Yulia Belomestnykh	51.29
18		Katrin Beierl	Victoria Hahn	51.49
19		Seun Adigun	Akuoma Omeoga	52.21
-		Nadezhda Sergeeva	Anastasia Kocherzhova	DQ

Heat 2

The second heat followed the reverse performance in the first run, with the last-placed Nigerians Seun Adigun and Akuoma Omeoga going first, but their time was immediately improved by Katrin Baierl and Victoria Hahn with over a second. This time remained as fastest time of the second heat until the Belgian team of An Vannieuwenhuyse and Sophie Vercruyssen, with the Korean home team of Kim and Kim improving their time immediately after. With constant back-to-back time improvements, the number of positional shifts in the provisional standings was low, though the Canadians Christine de Bruin and Melissa Lotholz actually set a time that held for a few descents. Ranked just inside the top 10 after the first run, they were able to climb a single place, with the differences between the teams being very small. The sled of Kaillie Humphries recovered a bit from the first run, with only the top 2 going below them. After the first day, Jamanka and Buckwitz took the lead from Meyers Taylor and Gibbs, but the difference between the two was less than a tenth of a second. The second German team of Schneider and Drazek followed on 0.3 seconds from Jamanka/Buckwitz, but the difference with fifth-placed Humphries was only 0.04 seconds.

Heat 2 Results
Rank	Nat.	Athletes		Time
1		Mariama Jamanka	Lisa Buckwitz	50.72
2		Elana Meyers Taylor	Lauren Gibbs	50.81
3		Kaillie Humphries	Phylicia George	50.88
4		Christine de Bruin	Melissa Lotholz	50.91
5		Stephanie Schneider	Annika Drazek	50.93
6		Alysia Rissling	Heather Moyse	50.95
6		Mica McNeill	Mica Moore	50.95
8		Jamie Greubel Poser	Aja Evans	50.99
9		Christina Hengster	Valerie Kleiser	51.04
10		Sabina Hafner	Rahel Rebsamen	51.16
11		Anna Koehler	Erline Nolte	51.20
11		Kim Yoo-ran	Kim Min-seong	51.20
13		Elfje Willemsen	Sara Aerts	51.27
14		An Vannieuwenhuyse	Sophie Vercruyssen	51.28
15		Maria Adela Constantin	Andreea Grecu	51.40
16		Katrin Beierl	Victoria Hahn	51.41
17		Aleksandra Rodionova	Yulia Belomestnykh	51.47
18		Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian	Carrie Russell	51.50
19		Seun Adigun	Akuoma Omeoga	52.55
-		Nadezhda Sergeeva	Anastasia Kocherzhova	DQ

Heat 3

The third heat followed the rankings of the first day, with Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz going first. They immediately set a new track record, but the American world number two went below that with 0.03 seconds. With the small differences between the three teams behind the top 2, any mistake could lose a medal, and the defending champions set themselves on the best position with a single heat to go, 0.05 seconds in front of the reigning bronze medalists of Sochi. The German team of Schneider/Drazek lost another tenth of a second. The other defending champion Heather Moyse and her pilot Alysia Rissling were almost half a second behind the podium, 0.01 seconds in front of the third Canadian team.

Heat 3 Results
Rank	Nat.	Athletes		Time
1		Elana Meyers Taylor	Lauren Gibbs	50.46
2		Mariama Jamanka	Lisa Buckwitz	50.49
3		Kaillie Humphries	Phylicia George	50.52
4		Jamie Greubel Poser	Aja Evans	50.59
5		Stephanie Schneider	Annika Drazek	50.71
6		Christine de Bruin	Melissa Lotholz	50.75
7		Alysia Rissling	Heather Moyse	50.83
8		Christina Hengster	Valerie Kleiser	51.00
9		Sabina Hafner	Rahel Rebsamen	51.07
10		Elfje Willemsen	Sara Aerts	51.10
11		Mica McNeill	Mica Moore	51.16
12		Kim Yoo-ran	Kim Min-seong	51.32
13		Maria Adela Constantin	Andreea Grecu	51.39
14		Aleksandra Rodionova	Yulia Belomestnykh	51.41
15		Anna Koehler	Erline Nolte	51.46
16		Katrin Beierl	Victoria Hahn	51.51
17		An Vannieuwenhuyse	Sophie Vercruyssen	51.53
18		Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian	Carrie Russell	51.83
19		Seun Adigun	Akuoma Omeoga	52.31
-		Nadezhda Sergeeva	Anastasia Kocherzhova	DQ

Heat 4

With the last heat going in reverse order after three heats again, the Nigerian team once again took the first descent. With the nation's debut at the Winter Olympic Games, the team performed excellently, despite coming last, over 3 seconds behind the Jamaican debut in the sport. The Jamaicans, however, finished strong, with a time that would only be beat by a single team in the first half of the last heat, with the Belgian team of Vannieuwenhuyse/Vercruyssen climbing from 16th place to 12th place. The British team of Mica McNeill and Mica Moore went 0.01 seconds below the time of the Belgians, settling on 8th place after four runs. Rissling/Moyse secured their sixth place, while Schneider/Drazek set a time that was 0.34 seconds faster than the Canadians in the last heat. With the small difference with Greubel Poser/Evans, the Germans took fourth place before the Americans, but the gap with the bronze medal was a bit too far, Humphries and George limiting their deficit in the last heat. Before the last run, Jamanka/Buckwitz had a gap of 0.04 seconds to Meyers Taylor/Gibbs, but in a close finish, the Germans managed to extend their lead with another 0.03 seconds, taking the gold medal.

Heat 4 Results
Rank	Nat.	Athletes		Time
1		Mariama Jamanka	Lisa Buckwitz	50.70
1		Stephanie Schneider	Annika Drazek	50.70
3		Elana Meyers Taylor	Lauren Gibbs	50.73
4		Kaillie Humphries	Phylicia George	50.77
5		Jamie Greubel Poser	Aja Evans	50.85
6		Alysia Rissling	Heather Moyse	51.04
7		Mica McNeill	Mica Moore	51.19
8		An Vannieuwenhuyse	Sophie Vercruyssen	51.20
9		Elfje Willemsen	Sara Aerts	51.21
9		Sabina Hafner	Rahel Rebsamen	51.21
11		Christina Hengster	Valerie Kleiser	51.24
12		Christine de Bruin	Melissa Lotholz	51.29
13		Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian	Carrie Russell	51.32
14		Anna Koehler	Erline Nolte	51.41
15		Katrin Beierl	Victoria Hahn	51.43
16		Kim Yoo-ran	Kim Mim-seong	51.55
16		Aleksandra Rodionova	Yulia Belomestnykh	51.55
18		Maria Adela Constantin	Andreea Grecu	51.57
19		Seun Adigun	Akuoma Omeoga	52.53
-		Nadezhda Sergeeva	Anastasia Kocherzhova	DQ

Results

Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz won their first Olympic medals, and the second gold medal for Germany in bobsleigh in Pyeongchang. Germany won its first medal in women's bobsleigh since 2006, when the nation also won the gold medal. Elana Meyers Taylor won her third Olympic medal, after bronze in 2010 and silver in 2014. Lauren Gibbs won a silver medal at her Olympic debut. Kaillie Humphries also won her third Olympic medal, after winning the gold medal in 2010 and 2014, but for the first time with Phylicia George. Stephanie Schneider and Annika Drazek could have won their first medals, though Jamie Greubel Poser, Aja Evans, and Heather Moyse were not able to defend the medals won in Sochi.

Result	Athletes		Nationality	Time
	Mariama Jamanka	Lisa Buckwitz	Germany	3:22.45
	Elana Meyers Taylor	Lauren Gibbs	United States	3:22.52
	Kaillie Humphries	Phylicia George	Canada	3:22.89
4	Stephanie Schneider	Annika Drazek	Germany	3:22.97
5	Jamie Greubel Poser	Aja Evans	United States	3:23.02
6	Alysia Rissling	Heather Moyse	Canada	3:23.63
7	Christine de Bruin	Melissa Lotholz	Canada	3:23.89
8	Mica McNeill	Mica Moore	Great Britain	3:24.07
9	Sabina Hafner	Rahel Rebsamen	Switzerland	3:24.30
10	Christina Hengster	Valerie Kleiser	Austria	3:24.51
11	Elfje Willemsen	Sara Aerts	Belgium	3:24.61
12	An Vannieuwenhuyse	Sophie Vercruyssen	Belgium	3:25.25
13	Anna Koehler	Erline Nolte	Germany	3:25.28
14	Kim Yoo-ran	Kim Min-seong	South Korea	3:25.31
15	Maria Adela Constantin	Andreea Grecu	Romania	3:25.53
16	Aleksandra Rodionova	Yulia Belomestnykh	Olympic Athletes from Russia	3:25.72
17	Katrin Beierl	Victoria Hahn	Austria	3:25.84
18	Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian	Carrie Russell	Jamaica	3:25.94
19	Seun Adigun	Akuoma Omeoga	Nigeria	3:29.60
DQ	Nadezhda Sergeeva	Anastasia Kocherzhova	Olympic Athletes from Russia	Disqualified