Jane Channell and Hallie Clarke Reflect on Bittersweet Olympic Skeleton Race
CORTINA, Ita.—Canadian skeleton athletes Hallie Clarke and Jane Channell faced the unforgiving nature of the Olympic skeleton competition where four consistent runs determine the podium.
Channell, a three-time Olympian, and Clarke, making her debut in the five ring circus, were left in the middle of the standings after struggling to carve out clean, fast lines through the 16-corner chute winding through the Italian Dolomites.
Channell finished 18th in 3:52.96, one spot ahead of Clarke, who posted a combined time of 3:53.02 over four runs on the 1,445-metre track.
The 37-year-old Channell from North Vancouver entered the final day in 15th place but slipped three positions across the closing two heats.
“There is never a race, unless you win it, that you don’t always want more. There were mistakes, but I did the best I could do,” said Channell on the finish dock. “Overall, it was a fantastic Olympics. To have our family and friends back here watching and the setting in the Dolomites can’t get any better.”
It was a contrasting final day for the two Canucks. As Channell slipped back over the course of the last day, Clarke – a driven Brighton, Ont. resident – slowly picked a couple of spots up the standings following a shaky first run.
“Obviously, I was a bit disappointed,” said Clarke. “I am really proud of how I picked it up today. I had a huge ‘PB’ on the last run so if there is a way to finish my first Olympics it is on that.”
A two-time World Cup medallist and the first athlete ever to hold both the Senior and Junior World Championship titles in skeleton at the same time, the 21-year-old Clarke represents the future of the Canadian skeleton program.
“This whole quad I have learned a lot. There has been a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” added Clarke. “This result is unfortunately one of the lows. It’s never what you want in an Olympics, but I’ll chalk this up to more experience that I will bring with me into the next quad.”
Experience rose to the top of the podium in the women’s skeleton event, as Austria’s Janine Flock claimed Olympic gold. A multiple World Championship and World Cup medallist, the four-time Olympian delivered a masterclass in consistency, leading from start to finish across all four runs. Flock sealed the victory with a combined time of 3:49.02.
Germany’s Susanne Kreher secured silver with a total time of 3:49.32, while teammate Jacqueline Pfeifer rounded out the podium, taking bronze in 3:49.46.
Meanwhile, Canada sent one athlete to the starting block for the men’s skeleton race at the Cortina Sliding Centre. Josip Brusic, of Okotoks, Alta., placed 24th in the four-run challenge.
The 23-year-old Brusic, who represents a strong group of development level athletes in Canada, posted a combined time of 3:52.32.
After shaking off early nerves, Brusic jumped a spot in the standings after posting a personal best in his third run, but dropped back again when things got away from him in the final decent.
“I came here in a development mindset,” said Brusic. “I really came here for experience and to get better for next time. I’m going to use everything that I have learned here today to fuel me for the next four years and attack it when I get back here.”
Matt Weston, of Great Britain, slid to the top of the podium with a time of 3:43.33. The Germans locked up the final two medals. Axel Jungk snagged the silver at 3:44.21. Christopher Grotheer battled to the bronze at 3:44.40.
Canada’s Jane Channell has been instrumental in mentoring Brusic, Hallie Clarke and other head-first sliders rising through the national pathway, helping guide the skeleton program through its rebuilding phase. That leadership was on full display again this week as she steered the sport’s next generation into their first Olympic Games.
“To be a part of their Olympic journey and their beginnings, I am really grateful for the opportunity,” said a tearful Channell. “I can’t wait to see how they will continue to perform and what the next generation will do.”
Channell’s leadership will be slide into the Olympic spotlight one more time at the Milano Cortina Games when she teams up with Brusic for Sunday’s mixed team event.