At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, the two-woman bobsled competition delivered a thrilling finale that highlighted the dominance of Germany and the enduring excellence of American athletes Kaillie Humphries Armbruster and Elana Meyers Taylor. On Saturday night, Germany’s Laura Nolte secured her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event, further cementing her status as the reigning queen of women’s bobsledding. Meanwhile, Humphries Armbruster, competing perhaps in her final Olympic appearance, earned a bronze medal—her sixth Olympic medal overall—tying the record for the most Olympic medals by any woman in bobsled history.
Laura Nolte, who has been a formidable force in the sport with four consecutive World Cup titles prior to the Games, teamed up with Deborah Levi to deliver an outstanding performance across four runs. The German duo finished with a combined time of 3 minutes, 48.46 seconds, narrowly beating Nolte’s teammate Lisa Buckwitz and her partner Neele Schuten, who secured the silver medal with a time of 3:48.99. The gold and silver medals went to Germany, underscoring the country’s dominance in the sport.
The battle for the bronze was intensely competitive, coming down to the final run. Humphries Armbruster, piloting the sled with teammate Jasmine Jones, both of whom are mothers, finished just ahead of Germany’s Kim Kalicki. Their final time of 3:49.21 edged out Kalicki’s 3:49.36, securing the bronze medal for the United States. This medal marked Humphries Armbruster’s sixth Olympic podium finish, tying her with fellow American Elana Meyers Taylor for the most Olympic medals by a woman in bobsledding.
The American team’s depth was evident throughout the competition. Kaysha Love and Azaria Hill finished fifth despite Love battling a recurring hamstring injury that had troubled her throughout the season. Meanwhile, Meyers Taylor, alongside Jadin O’Brien, finished tied for seventh after facing difficulties in the second heat of the event, which had set them back in the standings.
Germany’s sweeping success in the two-woman bobsled event added to their already impressive medal haul in sliding sports at the Milan Cortina Games. With six bobsled medals so far, Germany has significantly outpaced the competition, while the United States has earned three medals and no other nation has reached the podium in this discipline. This strong showing reflects Germany’s broader dominance in sliding sports at these Games, where they have accumulated 17 medals across bobsled, skeleton, and luge—one more than all other countries combined. Austria trails with five medals, the U.S. and Italy have four each, Britain has two, and Latvia has one.
Looking ahead, Germany is poised to extend their supremacy in sliding events, especially as they aim to replicate their sweeping performance in the two-man bobsled in the upcoming four-man competition. After the first two heats of the four-man race on Saturday, Germany holds a commanding position, suggesting they may continue their medal spree in the final sliding event of the Games on Sunday.
The intense competition in the two-woman bobsled event was underscored by the narrow margins separating the top sleds going into the final runs. Nolte led Buckwitz by 0.35 seconds, while Buckwitz held a 0.19-second advantage over Humphries Armbruster. The fight for the bronze was even tighter, with Humphries Armbruster holding a mere 0.09-second lead over Kalicki, making the final descent a nail-biting affair. When Humphries Armbruster exited the sled, she and Jones enveloped themselves in the American flag, celebrating the hard-fought bronze medal that represented a milestone in her illustrious career.
Humphries Armbruster’s impressive Olympic medal tally now stands at three golds and three bronzes, a testament to her longevity and consistency at the highest level of the sport. Similarly, Elana Meyers Taylor, at 41 years old, and Humphries Armbruster, 40, are both veterans who have balanced their athletic careers with motherhood. Meyers Taylor, a mother of two, and Humphries Armbruster, who has one son, have spoken openly about their desires to expand their families, which adds a poignant dimension to their performances and suggests that Saturday night may have marked the end