Russian driver Evgeny Popov, with Dmitry Trunenkov, Roman Orechnikov and Dmitry Stephushkin (front to back) take a turn during their World Cup four-man bobsled race Saturday, December 9, 2006, at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. They took first place.
Photo: AP
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Russian Bobsledders Still Masters of the Slope
The Russian bobsled team won the third stage of the World Cup competition with Evgeny Popov at the helm at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York. Popov, who has been in secondary positions for several years, reached the turning point after top Russian bobsledder Dmitry Stepushkin was injured before the Torino Olympics.
Stepushkin recovered, but did not regain his place as driver because Alexander Zubkov had already formed a lineup with former arm wrestling champion Alexey Voevoda driving. Voevoda, however, decided to join the Sochi 2104 application committee. His stand-in Evgeny Pechenkin was inexperienced and the other team member, Filipp Egorov, was injured at an October training session and had not regained full strength.
Popov's luck was simultaneously running high. Stepushkin was in top form. Young team members Dmitry Trunenkov and Roman Oreshnikov were excellent side-pushers. Two of the top drivers in the world, Swiss Martin Annen and American Todd Hays, had just retired, leaving the competition weaker. Only Canadian Pierre Lueders was left among the greats, and he lost to Zubkov and German Andre Lange regularly.
Popov lagged behind Lange slightly in Calgary at the first stage of the World Cup, but neat him in Salt Lake City. Lange swore that he would take his vengeance on Lake Placid's difficult slope, but instead did not compete because of an injury received at a Thursday training session. Latvian Janis Minins, who was also recovering from an accident, did compete and took the silver medal. Zubkov crashed on the second run. Popov brings with him to his second win in a row 290 points and the proof that his victory is more than a coincidence.
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All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 19, 2006
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