American Kaillie Humphries Armbruster found herself at the Olympic medal stand once more for her sixth record-breaking appearance in the two-woman bobsled finale Saturday night at Milan Cortina.
The event saw Germany’s Laura Nolte clinch another gold, becoming the first athlete to win consecutive World Cup and Olympic titles since 2016. Nolte joined forces with Deborah Levi, their second consecutive gold medalist in a row, finishing with an impressive run of 3 minutes, 48.46 seconds.
Nolte’s success was not just limited to the Olympics but also carried forward in World Cup events where she secured four consecutive titles. Her teammate Lisa Buckwitz followed close behind, taking second place with her team mate Neele Schuten.
Meanwhile, U.S. athletes Kaysha Love and Azaria Hill finished fifth with a run of 3:49.71. Fellow American Elana Meyers Taylor and Jadin O’Brien, who narrowly missed the podium due to a malfunction earlier in the competition, moved up to finish in seventh place.
This marked three U.S. medals at the Milan Cortina Games so far — an impressive tally that pales in comparison to Germany’s 17 sliding medals, including bobsled, skeleton and luge events. Germany’s dominance is even more pronounced as they have a lead of one over the rest of the world.
Humphries Armbruster now boasts a personal best of six Olympic medals, tying her with Elana Meyers Taylor in the sport’s record books. The 40-year-old U.S. driver, who was joined by Jasmine Jones, celebrated her sixth medal as she emerged victorious from the three-run contest.
The outcome meant that for these two competitors, their days on the Olympic stage might be numbered; both are aged forty and share aspirations to expand their families with another child. With this event, Meyers Taylor’s 177th major international race ended on a high note — she has accumulated over 49 victories across three decades.
As for Humphries Armbruster, who has previously competed as a Canadian athlete, her enduring performance in the sport now stands at a remarkable 105 medals in 218 major competitions. What will come of their careers remains uncertain; but this may well be their last hurrah on the Olympic stage or any competitive surface.