Driver Justin Kripps led Canada to a bronze medal in the four-man bobsled event on the final day of the Beijing Olympics.
BRONZE
Justin Kripps, Ryan Sommer, Cam Stones and Ben Coakwell slide to bronze in the four-man bobsleigh at #Beijing2022
Details: https://t.co/EDNFSC6PEh pic.twitter.com/YXqXyWGa0z
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) February 20, 2022
The bronze on Sunday gives Canada 26 medals (four gold, eight silver, 14 bronze) for the Beijing Olympics — three off its record total from 2018 in Pyeongchang.
With one event to go, Canada is fourth in the total medal count. Norway, with 36 medals, will top the table and the Russians are second with 31.
Kripps, Ryan Sommer, Cam Stones and Benjamin Coakwell held on to third place after carrying just a .08-second lead over the fourth-place sled from Germany in the final run. The Canadians ended up six-hundredths of a second ahead of Germany’s Christoph Hafer after leading by just .01 seconds at the penultimate interval.
“Absolutely huge. I’m at a loss for words. The boys did amazing and I couldn’t be happier,” Kripps told CBC.
German drivers Francesco Friedrich and Johannes Lachner finished first and second, respectively.
Friedrich now has won four consecutive gold medals at the Olympics in the two- and four-man events.
The 35-year-old Kripps, who shared gold in the two-man with Friedrich in 2018, finished a disappointing 10th in the two-man in Beijing.
A native of Summerland, B.C., Kripps was competing in his fourth Olympics.
Canada’s Christopher Spring finished ninth in the four-man.
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