US pilots Holcomb, Napier finish 2-3 behind 3-time Olympic champ Lange in 4-man bobsled

US pilots Holcomb, Napier finish 2-3 in 4-man

KOENIGSSEE, Germany — U.S. pilots Steven Holcomb and John Napier claimed second and third place behind three-time Olympic champion Andre Lange of Germany in a four-man World Cup bobsled race on Sunday.

Lange finished in 1 minute, 37.07 seconds to beat World Cup leader Holcomb by 0.03 seconds for his second straight win. Napier crossed in 1:37.31 for third.

“It would have been even better if we were three-hundredths ahead,” Holcomb said. “Medaling is awesome every time, because it’s a weekly confirmation that you are still one of the best out there. Our focus is gold in February, but we also want to win the overall title this season.”

Holcomb and his team of Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz had the fastest time of the competition, clocking 48.42 in the second run.

“If it wasn’t for my push team, I wouldn’t be on the podium,” Holcomb said. “Camaraderie is a huge part of being successful. We get along really well, and I think it shows with our results. I trust they’ll do their job every time we’re at the line.”

Holcomb leads the World Cup standings with 1,263 points, 133 ahead of Janis Minins of Latvia. Napier, who teamed with Charles Berkeley, Steven Langton and Christopher Fogt, is fourth with 1,050 points.

“Napier was awesome today,” Holcomb said. “It’s great standing on the podium next to your teammates and friends. I think he knows now that he can beat the best in the world, and it’s nice to be racing with and against him for medal position.”