Kripps wins opening 4-man bobsled race of season

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Canada’s Justin Kripps won the season’s opening World Cup four-man bobsled race on Saturday, prevailing at Mount Van Hoevenberg for the second consecutive year.

Kripps and his team of Ryan Sommer, Cameron Stones and Benjamin Coakwell finished two runs in 1 minute, 49.50 seconds. Latvia’s sled driven by Oskars Kibermanis was second in 1:49.89 and Austria’s Benjamin Maier drove to the bronze in 1:49.97.

It was only the second time in the last 17 World Cup four-man races that Germany failed to medal — the other being last year, also in Lake Placid. Germany’s Francesco Friedrich was his nation’s top finisher, placing fourth.

The sled driven by Codie Bascue was sixth to lead the U.S. contingent. There is a second four-man race in Lake Placid on Sunday, after last weekend’s opening event of the season saw two two-man races and none of the four-man variety.

The women’s bobsled race is later Saturday.