Lawrence: 2-man medal not an impossible task
A 4-man medal may be the main focus for the British Bobsleigh team at this week’s World Championships but Taylor Lawrence isn’t ruling out making the podium in the 2-man competition first.
GB won World Championship silver in the 4-man event two years ago and made the podium in six of seven World Cup races this year to leave them as one of the favourites for gold at the season showpiece in Lake Placid.
Success in the 2-man has been harder to come by but GB still finished third in the Overall World Cup standings, medalling twice and never finishing outside the top six in eight races.
Germany have dominated the podium places in the 2-man discipline over recent years, winning the last nine titles and taking 20 of the 27 medals available in that time. They won gold, silver and bronze at last year’s World Championships as they repeated their clean sweep from the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and only GB (2) and Austria (1) stopped them from winning all 24 World Cup medal this term.
The quality of the German 2-man equipment makes it an incredibly tough task to prevent more of the same but Lawrence is still convinced he and pilot Brad Hall are good enough to do just that in the United States this Saturday and Sunday.
“We say this week on week, year on year - the Germans have formidable equipment and it doesn’t help the rest of the world that they are also amazing starters and have great pilots as well! When you combine those three things, it’s very difficult for anyone else to get close to them, but we genuinely believe we have a chance,” said Lawrence.
We need to be great starters but Brad also has to drive near perfectly every single heat whereas the Germans can afford to have slightly sloppier runs. But Brad’s driving gets better and better every single year; we’ve managed to break into the top three this season; and coming to Lake Placid is a bit of a leveller. We don’t come here every year and it’s a very technical track so you do have to be a really good pilot here as well.
“If Brad and I can get the start right; the equipment runs well; and Brad drives well, I genuinely believe there is something special to be had here, not just in the 4-man but in the 2-man as well.”
Lawrence and Hall head into the most prestigious event outside of the Olympics in confident mood despite Germany’s historical dominance, with that self belief stemming from the quality and consistency of their performances this season and the stark contrast in the number of runs they have had together this term compared to last.
The 2023/24 campaign was decimated by injuries to Hall and the majority of the GBR1 brakemen except for Lawrence and, to make it even more difficult to turn on the style at the biggest race of the year, last season’s World Championships were held in Germany.
Things are definitely different this time around and Lawrence knows that claiming a first 2-man medal at a World Championships for 59 years would be the perfect way to head into the 2026 Olympic campaign.
“It’s a world of difference from last year when Brad was just getting over back surgery and we’d had hardly any runs in pre-season and missed a load of World Cup races,” added Lawrence, who will be competing at his fifth World Championships.
Last year’s World Champs were in Winterberg and beating the Germans on a German track, particularly in the 2-man, is almost unheard of, so coming to a non-German track, especially one that’s very technical, very fast and needs a really good driver, does give you confidence.
“We’ve been pretty consistent in terms of top three and top four starts this year. There’s obviously some very good starters in the field but I feel like I’m in very good shape and Brad is getting into his best shape, too, so we’re hoping to be in the top three or four starters again this week.
“Training has been going really well and Brad’s been figuring things out quickly with the equipment and the driving lines so I feel this is one of the best opportunities we’ve ever had to come away with a 2-man medal at a World Champs.
“If we can come away with a 2-man medal, the confidence and motivation that will give us, not just for the 4-man here but also moving into Olympic year, would be incredible. If you’re winning a medal in the 2-man, there’s absolutely no doubt that you can win a medal in the 4-man as well. There would be a lot of shocked people. That would be the perfect way to start the World Championships.”
World Championship schedule
All times are GMT
Thurs 6 Mar
Men's Skeleton Runs 1&2 2pm
Women's Skeleton Runs 1&2 7pm
Fri 7 Mar
Men's Skeleton Runs 3&4 3.45pm
Women's Skeleton Runs 3&4 9pm
Sat 8 Mar
2-man Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 2pm
Women's Monobob Runs 1&2 7pm
Sun 9 Mar
Skeleton Team Event 12am
2-man Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 2.30pm
Women's Monobob Runs 3&4 7.30pm
Sat 15 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 1pm
Women's Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 6pm
Sun 16 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 1pm
Women's Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 6pm
