North Vancouver native Jane Channell slid to her first career podium on the Skeleton World Cup, winning the bronze in Winterberg, Germany, Dec. 4. The 27-year-old rocketed down the 14-corner track in a tworun time of 1:58.75 to slide onto the final step of the podium, according to a press release from Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.
It feels so good to have been able to put together two consistent runs, said Channell, in the statement. The weather conditions weren't ideal. The first run, the track was covered in fog. It cleared up a bit for the second run, but the track still wasn't fast. Knowing the weather couldn't be controlled, she told herself to roll on and slide with what was given to her, she added.
Germany's Tina Hermann won the race with a time of 1:57.87, while Jacqueline Loelling, also of Germany, slid to the silver with a time of 1:58.27.
Competing in just her second year on the World Cup, Channell has had some success in Winterberg.
She narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth at the World Championships on the same track last year.
A former studentathlete at Simon Fraser University, Channell's dream of competing in skeleton at the Olympic Games took shape when Vancouver won the opportunity to host the 2010 Games.
After participating in a recruitment camp, Channell took advantage of the Whistler Sliding Centre and has never looked back.
