Christine de Bruin sliding into Beijing 2022 medal contention
Canadian bobsleigh pilot De Bruin has raised her prospects of reaching the podium in Beijing 2022 thanks to consistent performances over the last World Cup campaign. De Bruin will be among the top challengers for double bobsleigh success in the two-woman and monobob events.
Christine de Bruin will be looking to uphold Canada’s reputation in female bobsleighing at the Winter Olympics, with the North Americans reaching the podium at the last three editions.
The 32-year-old De Bruin will have to step into the void left by former countrywoman Kaillie Humphries, who will be sliding for the United States at the Beijing showpiece.
Humphries has been the pre-eminent bobsleigh athlete for over a decade, winning two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in the two-women event before she changed allegiances ahead of Beijing 2022. Humphries won back-to-back gold medals at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, and bronze at PyeongChang 2018.
Out of a long shadow
De Bruin has emerged as one of the top drivers on the international bobsleigh circuit since finishing seventh on her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018.
She made her breakthrough in 2019, reaching the podium twice at the Bobsleigh World Championships in Whistler, Canada. De Bruin bagged the bronze medal in the two-woman bobsleigh with brakewoman Kristen Bujnowski and won silver in the team relay.
She continued her rise, producing her best result yet in the World Cup series finishing third overall in the 2019/2020 season after consistently finishing among the top-five pilots.
The Edmonton-born slider crowned the season, claiming a second consecutive bronze medal in the two-woman bobsleigh at the 2020 World Championships in Altenberg, Germany.
“Finishing third overall means to me that we have arrived, and I believe that even more so now,” De Bruin told Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. “This shows we are consistent and the work we have put in is paying off.”
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A winning combination
De Bruin’s success over the last two seasons has been intrinsically linked to the partnership formed with Bujnowski in 2019.
The duo has formed a winning combination sparked by their two World Cup silver medals before racing to a maiden world bronze medal.
De Bruin has won a total of eight World Cup medals sharing the podium with Bujnowski on each occasion.
However, Bujnowski suffered a calf injury in December 2020, which effectively kept her off the icy track for the entire 2020/21 season.
To add insult to injury, the Canadian bobsleigh team did not compete over the first half of the season.
De Bruin’s performances and World Cup standings suffered as a result, and she finished the season in 15th overall. She also finished 16th in both the two-woman and monobob events at the 2021 World Championships in Altenberg.
“I had a hard time last year. Buj (Bujnowski) wasn’t able to join us on Tour, and with COVID, it just didn’t seem like anything would go our way,” said De Bruin.
On the comeback trail
Equilibrium was restored at the beginning of the 2021/22 season, with Bujnowski and De Bruin picking up where they left off.
The pair emphatically announced their comeback, winning the bronze medal at the Olympic test event at the Yanqing Sliding Centre in their first race as a combination in more than a year.
The medal on the same track where the Beijing 2022 bobsleigh competition will be held served as the perfect shot in the arm ahead of the global showpiece.
“Christine and I have both improved physically, but this result shows the value of constantly pushing together for many years now,” Bujnowski said at the time.
“We really believe in each other, and I think we can expect a great season.”
The performance lay the foundation for their best season in terms of podium finishes on the World Cup circuit, which started with three third-place finishes on the trot at the start of their campaign.
De Bruin started 2022 with another confidence-boosting race in Sigulda, Latvia, where they won their fourth bronze medal of the World Cup season, finishing fourth on the overall rankings.
“It will be very important (to have a high ranking) in Beijing because it seems like the ice deteriorates quickly there, so we need to stay high in the ranks to give us the best shot at an Olympic medal,” said De Bruin.
A second bite at the cherry
De Bruin also holds an ace in the monobob competition – an individual event exclusive to female athletes – that will be making its debut at these Olympic Winter Games.
She will be looking to etch her name into the history books as one of the first women to win double bobsleigh medals at the same Olympics.
De Bruin highlighted her medal-winning prospects winning monobob gold in Altenberg and Sigulda to finish fourth on the overall World Series standings.
Compatriot Cynthia Appiah finished one spot ahead of her on the rankings raising the prospects of Canada sharing the podium in the new Olympic event.
“I’m still in shock,” De Bruin said after claiming her first gold medal in the monobob. “I thought for sure I would get my first win in the two-woman, not monobob, but it feels great and shows that we are right on track.”
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The women’s monobob competition will start on 13 February at 9:30 local time, with the first two heats at the Yanqing Sliding Centre. The third and the decisive fourth heat will take place the following day, 14 February at 9:30.