German bobsledder Pieter Schmann Wins First Gold Medal at Winter Youth Olympics
Xinhua News Agency, Pyeongchang, South Korea, January 20 (Reporter Zhao Jiantong) – German bobsledder Pieter Schmann made history on the morning of January 20 by winning the first gold medal of the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games in the women’s single bobsleigh event. The competition took place at the Alpensia Sports Park Bobsleigh Center, the same venue for the bobsleigh competition at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The 17-year-old champion Pieter Schmann skated a time of 47.985 seconds in the first round, followed by a faster time of 47.789 seconds in the second round, securing her the gold medal. This marks Germany’s 10th medal in bobsled at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, solidifying their position as a powerhouse in the sport.
Italian Oberstolz took home the silver medal, and Austria’s Riedel secured the third-place spot. Chinese player Xin Lihui ranked 14th out of 31 contestants, and expressed her determination to improve for future competitions.
“This competition is relatively full of people, including outstanding players from Germany, Latvia, and so on. This is an opportunity to test yourself and see where you rank among these young athletes and opponents in your future sports career,” said Xin Lihui, born in 2006.
Later in the day, the Italian pair Bruna/Weisensteiner won the championship in the men’s double bobsled event. A total of five gold medals were produced in the luge event at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, with the gold medals for men’s single sled and women’s double sled to be decided on the 21st, and the sled collective relay competition on the 23rd.