Elana Meyers Taylor

USA Clinches Silver in Women's Bobsled; Germany Grabs Gold

The other American sled, piloted by Jamie Greubel Poser with brakeman Aja Evans, finished fifth, 0.13 seconds off the podium

German women won two medals in luge. They added another in skeleton. And after the women’s bobsled on Tuesday, they tacked on one more gold.

Pilot Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz won Germany’s latest gold in a sliding sport in Pyeongchang, defeating Team USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor sled by 0.07 seconds. Meyers Taylor, along with brakeman Lauren Gibbs, matched the silver she won in Sochi.

Two-time defending champion champion Kallie Humphries of Canada, who had a different brakeman for each gold and was riding with Summer Olympian Phylicia George in Pyeongchang, won bronze. In her three Olympics, she never finished off the podium.

The American sled piloted by Jamie Greubel Poser with brakeman Aja Evans finished fifth, 0.13 seconds off the podium.

Jamanka led after two runs, and delivered in Run 3, setting a track record with a phenomenal run down the course. She hit the lines perfectly to put the pressure on Meyers Taylor -- and Meyers Taylor, who has dealt with an Achilles injury in Pyeongchang, delivered with a course record of her own. She was 0.07 seconds back after two runs, but closed the gap to 0.04 heading into the final run.

The stage was set for a thrilling final leg. It, too, did not disappoint. Elana Meyers had her best run of the Games, but Jamanka matched it, to give Germany yet another win on the Pyeongchang sliding course.

There was a separate race for third, as three sleds from Germany, the U.S., and Canada were separated by only 0.04 after two runs. Humphries’ Canadian sled jumped from fifth to third on Run 3, taking a 0.05 lead over Greubel Poser’s U.S. sled heading into the final run. Greubel Poser, who won bronze with Aja Evans in 2014, couldn't put it together on the final run, however. She hit the wall twice coming out of the treacherous ninth turn and fell out of medal contention.

Outside the medal race, teams from Jamaica and Nigeria made history in Pyeongchang. The Jamaican sled became the first women’s sled from the "Cool Runnings" country to compete in the Games while the Nigerian women became the first African nation to participate in women’s bobsled. Jamaica finished the competition in 19th. Nigeria finished 20th.

Copyright NBC Olympics - Pyeongchang
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