History repeated itself for Canada in the two-man bobsled event at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Canadian Justin Kripps tied Germany’s Francesco Friedrich for gold Monday. The native of Summerland, B.C., product and brakeman Alex Kopacz of London, Ont., slid to a combined four-run time of three minutes 16.86 seconds.
“When I crossed that line, and I managed to actually see the clock that said No. 1 — it’s pretty tough to see when you’re ripping up the breaking stretch — but just so excited and everybody started mobbing into the track,” Kripps said. “I saw the Germans and they were super excited, too. I was like, ‘Man, that’s nice. They’re really excited that we won.’
“We’re all good friends. Once the mob kind of dispersed a little bit Thorsten was giving me a hug, he was in my ear and he was like, ‘It was three hundredths and two and then we tied.’ I was like, ‘We tied?’ It’s insane. Amazing.”
Kripps joins Pierre Lueders, who took gold at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan, — also in a tie — as the only Canadians to top an Olympic podium in two-man. Lueders also won two-man silver at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, for the country’s other medal in the discipline.
Latvia’s Oskars Melbardis and Janis Strenga won bronze in 3:16.91.
Hamilton’s Nick Poloniato and brakeman Jesse Lumsden — the former CFL running back from Burlington, Ont. — were seventh in 3:17.74. Australian-born Chris Spring of Priddis, Alta., and Lascelles Brown of Calgary were 10th in 3:18.24.
The medal was Canada’s 17th of the Games (six gold, five silver, six bronze), leaving the team third in the overall standings.
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