Canada’s Cynthia Appiah charged into the New Year with a confidence-boosting result on the international bobsleigh circuit, capturing a silver medal in the women’s monobob event at a World Cup stop in Winterberg, Germany, on Saturday.
The podium finish marked Appiah’s first monobob medal of the current World Cup season and her eighth career World Cup podium in the discipline. Racing on the technically demanding 15-corner Winterberg track, the 35-year-old Torontonian posted a combined two-run time of 1:58.53, finishing just fractions of a second behind Germany’s Laura Nolte.
“This feels amazing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my back,” said Appiah. “The break was a much-needed reset for me. I came into the race just not putting pressure on myself because I really haven’t done well on this track.
“I was doing well in training this week and the coaches (Lyndon Rush and Justin Kripps) both reiterated to me to now just bring that training to the race. It all contributed to two solid runs today.”
Saturday’s result marked a return to the podium for Appiah, who had not seen the Canadian flag raised since the final race of last season, when she claimed silver in Lillehammer, Norway. The medal came after a challenging start to the winter, during which Appiah struggled to consistently place herself among the top contenders.
“It made me so happy seeing that Canadian flag above the podium again. There was a little gust of wind during the podium ceremony where the two German flags were laying still, but the Canadian flag was blowing there on its own, and it made me smile.
“This will help me build my confidence back up. Things are now trending in the right direction, and I hope it all leads to peaking at the right time during the Olympics.”
Early-season results had left Appiah searching for answers, but signs of improvement began to emerge in the final two races before the holiday break, where she recorded eighth-place finishes and started to rediscover her speed and consistency. That upward trend carried into Winterberg, despite the track’s reputation as one of her more difficult venues.
After the opening run, Appiah sat fourth overall following her first descent down the 1,330-metre German track. Rather than settling for a solid finish, she delivered the fastest run of the final heat, clocking 59.38 seconds to surge onto the podium.
“I was a little surprised with the first run because I made a couple of mistakes early and thought I would be further back,” said Appiah. “But when I saw where I was at (fourth), I thought, okay, this is no longer survival mode and trying to get a second run like the previous races. It was a reminder that I am a competitor in this race too, let’s go for it. I brought that mentality into the second run where I just put it all out there.”
Appiah finished just .16 seconds behind Nolte, who claimed gold with a winning time of 1:58.37. Germany’s Lisa Buckwitz, the leader after the first run, rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 1:58.57 after a difficult second run on her home track.
“It’s great to have the fastest run again. It’s something I haven’t had since the last Olympic season,” added Appiah. “To have the fastest down time in the second run, especially on a German track where you know it’s going to be a tough battle, is huge. To beat the Germans on their home track is an additional feather in my cap.”
Winterberg has traditionally posed challenges for Appiah, who last reached the podium there in 2022, when the monobob discipline was still being tested on the World Cup circuit. On Saturday, she put those struggles behind her, recording the third- and second-fastest start times across her two clean runs.
“Winterberg is a pusher’s track. The faster you push, the easier you’re making your life,” said Appiah. “You can’t outdrive the start and there are not a lot of places to pick up speed, but there are lots of places to lose speed.”
Canada also received strong performances from its other competitors. Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., continued her consistent season with a sixth-place finish, marking her fourth top-six monobob result in five races. The two-time Olympian posted a combined time of 1:58.73. Rookie World Cup pilot Kristen Bujnowski of Mount Brydges, Ont., finished 14th with a time of 1:59.08.
For Appiah, the silver medal represents more than just hardware, signaling a timely return to form as the season builds toward its most important competitions.
