Kaillie Humphries sets track record in Whistler

Canada's Kaillie Humphries is golden again in Whistler.

The Calgary pilot and brakeman Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., raced to a two-run time of one minute 45.37 seconds to win the women's World Cup bobsled race on Saturday, twice besting the Whistler Sliding Centre track record.

The pair's first run broke the standing track record with a 52.71-second finish. They then bettered that mark in their second run, finishing in 52.66 seconds. The previous mark, 52.85, was also held by Humphries from her gold medal performance at the 2010 Olympics, then competing alongside Heather Moyse.

"It was a lot closer than I expected today. In all fairness I expected a bigger lead in my head and that is a testament to how well the other girls slid today," said Humphries in a press release.

"There was a lot of pressure today being the Olympic champion here, and being at home. I don't like the pressure, but I have experience and know how to deal with it. It is one of the things that comes with competing in sport at this level."

American Jamie Greubel Poser finished second in 1:45.53, while Christina Hengster of Austria was third in 1:45.64.

"The track crew has been working hard all week and it shows," said Humphries. "The weather conditions were perfect today. It was just crisp enough in the air that it was cold, and the ice was hard, smooth and fast. With that, you are going to get track records all over the place. This is what we compete for, what we love and it is high-performance sport at its finest."

Humphries and Lotholz top the overall standings this season thanks with four golds, a silver and a bronze through six races.

Humphries now has 36 career World Cup medals, including 17 golds.