Another superb silver for Hall & Lawrence

Brad Hall and Taylor Lawrence came agonisingly close to making history late on Friday night as they just missed out on Great Britain’s first 2-man bobsleigh World Cup gold medal for almost 40 years.

Hall and Lawrence led after the first run in the second race of the season in Park City as they set their sights on becoming the first GB 2-man team to stand on top of a World Cup podium since Nick Phipps and Alan Cearns achieved the feat in Cortina in December 1985.

Instead they had to settle for silver as reigning back-to-back Olympic Champions Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis took gold, 0.26 seconds clear of the Brits after a stunning second run. 

The result continues a remarkable start to the season for British Bobsleigh, who have now won three silver medals in as many World Cup races after Hall and Lawrence took 2-man silver in Whistler last Friday before again finishing second in the 4-man 24 hours later with Greg Cackett and Arran Gulliver. 

It also comes on the back of their British Skeleton team mates producing a double medal winning day in Park City as Marcus Wyatt and Laura Deas each won bronze on Thursday evening.  

Hall and Lawrence were the fastest starters in Run 1, three hundredths clear of the next quickest, and they were second fastest off the top in Run 2. They clocked a combined time of 1 minute 36.08 seconds after coming down in 48 seconds flat in Run 1 and just a fraction slower in Run 2.

Switzerland’s Michael Vogt and Sandro Michel placed third, six hundredths back from Hall and Lawrence, with Olympic silver medalist Johannes Lochner finishing fourth.

Hall now has 11 World Cup medals to his name - with his first coming at the same US track in the 4-man event in November 2017 - while Lawrence has six, including two from his only two 2man races to date. 

They both race again tomorrow evening when they link back up with Cackett and Gulliver in the second 4-man race of the World Cup season at the same venue at 8.30pm GMT.