Monobob has made its long awaited debut as a new Olympic sport in Beijing. US teammates Kaillie Humphries and Meyers Taylor took home the gold and silver on Monday as Christine de Bruin, of Canada, got the bronze.
Humphries flew down at The Yanqing National Sliding Center for a four-run total time of 4 minutes, 19.27 seconds.
“We have shared the podium since 2010 together,” Humphries said. “And we have this battle royale where I push her and she pushes me to be better. And it always worked.”
After having a long career with the Canadian national team Humphreys became a US citizen this past December allowing just enough of a window to qualify for the Winter Games.
“I’m becoming an American,” Humphries said before the Olympics. “Reminding myself of that made it much bigger and much more grand. At the end of the day, the Olympics is a race. It’s what I work for, but it’s not a part of who I am, and becoming an American is very much a part of who I am.”
Long time friends and rival Humphries and Meyers Taylor have traded wins and rankings on the World Cup circuit for more than a decade. They walked out together in Beijing as Myers Taylor led the delegation as a flag-bearer for the opening ceremony,
Humphries now has three gold medals. No other woman has won more than one gold since the International Olympic Committee introduced women’s bobsled at the 2002 Olympics. She also tied an Olympic record, along with Lindsey Jacobellis in becoming the oldest American women to medal at a Winter Olympics.