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FILE – Kaillie Humphries, of the United States, celebrates winning the gold medal in the women’s monobob at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
ALTENBERG, Germany (AP) — U.S. bobsledder Kaillie Humphries is returning to the World Cup circuit on Saturday in what will be the three-time Olympic champion’s first race since becoming a mother six months ago.
Humphries will compete in the women’s monobob at Altenberg, Germany, as the World Cup schedule for bobsledders gets underway. She is the reigning Olympic champion in monobob, winning at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The 70-time World Cup medalist hasn’t raced against top international competition since a World Cup event on Feb. 18, 2023. She took last season off with hopes of becoming a mother, and she and her husband — former U.S. bobsledder Travis Armbruster — welcomed their son in mid-June.
Humphries was training again weeks after giving birth, a frantic rush to get ready for this season.
“I had my suspicions,” Armbruster wrote on social media, “but now I’m quite certain she is indeed super-human.”
The two-man bobsled race in Altenberg also will be held Saturday, with women’s bobsled and four-man scheduled for Sunday.
Belgium’s Kim Meylemans won a weather-shortened women’s race at Altenberg on Friday, her first World Cup victory coming in her 65th career start on tour.
Meylemans edged Susanne Kreher and Hannah Neise — both of Germany — for the gold, prevailing in a one-heat race instead of the customary two. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation delayed the start of racing for nearly two hours because of heavy snow and shortened the competition because of time constraints.
“It’s always difficult if the weather is difficult,” Meylemans said. “Honestly, I have to give a compliment to IBSF this time to make the call to delay the race because it definitely was better than what it would have been if we would have gone (earlier). One heat, it’s always hard, but everyone knows the game, so got to give it your all.”
Sara Roderick was the top U.S. women’s finisher, placing ninth to tie her best-ever World Cup finish. It was only the 12th career start for Roderick.
In the men’s race, which did use the normal two-heat format, reigning Olympic champion Christopher Grotheer of Germany got his fourth win in four races this season to extend his World Cup standings lead. Britain’s Matt Weston was second — his fourth medal of the season — and countryman Marcus Wyatt was third.
Austin Florian was sixth in the men’s race, making him the top American finisher.
The World Cup skeleton tour continues next weekend in Sigulda, Latvia.
The World Cup luge circuit is in Igls, Austria, this weekend, the second of nine stops on the calendar this season.
Women’s doubles, men’s doubles and women’s singles will be contested Saturday. The men’s singles race and a team relay are set for Sunday.
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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
