Humphries ends season with gold as Martini takes World Cup title

By Sportsbeat staff

KAILLIE Humphries ended the FIBT World Cup season on a high with her second successive win on home soil as a fifth from Cathleen Martini was enough for her to take her first-ever overall title.

FINALLY: Cathleen Martini brought an end to teammate Sandra Kiriasis' long run of overall World Cup titles

Canadian Humphries arrived in Calgary fresh from her two-woman bobsleigh win in Whistler with Emily Baadsvik last time out and duly repeated the trick with Jennifer Ciochetti this time.

Olympic gold medal-winning pilot Humphries took victory in 1:53.28minutes to pull level with German Martini on the number of wins collected during this campaign - three.

Martini and brakewoman Janine Tischer were well down in fifth in 1:54.12 in Calgary as compatriot Anja Schneiderheinze, supported by Lisette Thoene, did her best to overthrow her after taking silver.

It wasn't enough though as Martini ended the World Cup season with 1655 points to her name for the title with Schneiderheinze second with 1598 - Humphries finishing fifth overall.

Martini's triumph finally brings teammate Sandra Kiriasis' dominance to an end with the 37-year-old lifting the World Cup title for the past eight seasons, four of which saw the new champion end as runner-up.

And, while her grip loosened, a third in Calgary, eighth hundredths of a second behind Schneiderheinze in 1:53.54 with Petra Lammert, was good enough for third overall.

Meanwhile British pilot Paula Walker, still classed as a junior, recorded her best finish of the World Cup season after finishing four hundredths of a second behind Martini in sixth.

Her previous best was seventh at round five of eight in Koenigssee last month as she ended the World Cup tenth overall with 1144 points and will join the rest of the field in moving onto the upcoming World Championships in America.

© Sportsbeat 2012