The women’s monobob competition opened the bobsled program at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a tightly packed leaderboard after the first two runs, setting up a dramatic finish heading into the final day of racing.
Germany’s Laura Nolte leads the field at the halfway point after delivering a record-setting performance on her opening trip down the track. As the No. 1-ranked sled entering the Games, Nolte wasted no time establishing herself as the favorite, posting a track-record time of 59.44 seconds in Run 1 — a mark none of the other 24 competitors could match.
Team USA quickly positioned itself as Nolte’s primary challenger. Starting 10th in the opening run, Elana Meyers Taylor clocked a 59.49 to move into second place, just 0.05 seconds behind the leader. The defending Olympic silver medalist remains the top American sled after two runs and sits slightly more than two-tenths of a second out of gold medal position.
Defending Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries also put herself firmly in contention. Starting fourth, Humphries was the first athlete to challenge Nolte’s early benchmark, finishing Run 1 just behind the German. She improved by more than a tenth of a second on Run 2 and currently holds the bronze-medal position. Humphries trails Meyers Taylor by only 0.09 seconds, keeping the battle for the podium extremely close.
Another American, Kaysha Love, showed early promise. Competing in her second Olympics but first monobob event, Love delivered a powerful first run to move into third place. However, she struck the wall during Run 2, losing nearly a second. The 2025 monobob world champion now sits fifth but remains within striking distance heading into the final runs.
Switzerland’s Melanie Hasler occupies fourth place at the midpoint. She joined Nolte and the three Americans as the only athletes to break the one-minute barrier in the opening run, highlighting the small group currently separating itself from the rest of the field.
Track conditions proved challenging for several competitors early in the competition. Australia’s world No. 2 Bree Walker struggled with grip and sits sixth, while Austria’s Katrin Beierl had multiple wall contacts and finds herself in 13th place.
With Runs 3 and 4 scheduled for Monday, the first bobsled medals of the Games will soon be decided. Run 3 begins at 1 p.m. ET, with the final run set for 3:05 p.m. ET, as three American sleds remain firmly in the fight for the Olympic podium.
