Beijing, Feb. 12 (BUS): Hana Nice has never won a medal at the World Cup. Or a world championship medal, an Associated Press report said.
Nice, the 21-year-old who won the junior world title last year, became the first German woman to win the gold medal in the Olympic skeleton by rallying in the final qualifier at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday.
Her four-round time was 4 minutes 7.62 seconds. Australian Jacqueline Narracott – the event’s leader – won the silver with a time of 4: 08.24, and the Dutch World Cup champion Kimberly Boss took the bronze with a time of 4: 08.46.
Neise’s win might have been a bit surprising, but at this point, nothing Germany does on this track should come as a surprise. After six sliding events at the Beijing Olympics – four in the skis and two in the skeleton – the Germans have won six gold medals.
German Tina Hermann ranked fourth, while Canadian Mirella Raneva ranked fifth.
Neise’s win capped a year that was unexpected in the women’s skeleton right from the start. There were eight World Cup races before the Olympics, with five different winners and 11 different medalists—Nice wasn’t one of them.
But there was a big hint that could rival him in the Olympics. There was a pre-season race at Yanqing Ski Center after three weeks of international training this fall, and Neise finished second in the event.
Obviously, she figured out some things about the new track faster than anyone else.
insult