North Vancouver’s Jane Channell blasted back onto the World Cup skeleton circuit with a bronze medal showing in her first race of the season today in Konigssee, Germany.
Channell shared third place with World Cup leader Janine Flock of Austria, with both racers clocking a time of 1:42.93 over two runs down the tricky 1,675-metre track. Germany’s Jacqueline Loelling won gold with a time of 1:42.30, while Anna Fernstaedt of the Czech Republic finished second with 1:42.77.
It was a great start to the season for Channell, who chose to skip the first six World Cup races of the campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opting instead to train on her home course in Whistler.
“It feels great to be back [on the circuit] with everyone and back on the podium,” said Channell. “The time I spent in Whistler was key today. It got me back to the roots of why I started sliding in the first place – because it is fun. Sliding with the newer athletes in the program reminded me of what it’s like to start sliding. It really allowed me to relax, feel the ice under my sled and learn to trust myself again. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way.”
This was the fourth career World Cup medal and first in more than three years for Channell, who began competing for the national team in 2014. She also won silver at the 2020 World Championships.
Today in Germany Channell made an error on her first run that dropped her to seventh place, but bounced back in a big way on her final run, posting the second fastest time down the course.
“My first run I had a big mistake in the bendaway out of S4. I knew if I cleaned that up, I could be back in the pack,” she said. “My focus was on the process, not the outcome today. … I went into the second heat, sliding corner by corner, ensuring I was steering with purpose. My process was there, which resulted in the outcome.”
