Jamaican-born brakewoman Christania Williams and her driver Katrin Beierl competing for Austria are currently in eighth place at the IBSF World Championships in Lake Placid, following the first two heats of the two-woman bobsled competition on Friday. Competing against 19 other teams, the pair remain in striking distance as they prepare for the final two heats on Saturday.

Williams, a Jamaican Olympic medalist and Beierl began the competition with a solid first heat, posting a time of 56.88 seconds, which placed them sixth overall. Their start time of 5.44 seconds was among the fastest in the field, showing the duo’s explosive power off the line.

In the second heat, they maintained a strong start time of 5.44 seconds but encountered minor difficulties in the latter sections of the course, finishing in 57.21 seconds, dropping them to eighth place overall with a combined time of 1:54.09.

Germany’s Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi lead the standings after two heats, having set the fastest times in both runs. Their combined time of 1:52.77 gives them a 0.23-second advantage over their compatriots Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig (1:53.00), while Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide sit in third place with 1:53.20.
The team from Romania was disqualified.

Williams and Beierl will look to regain lost time in the final two heats, with their biggest challenge coming in maintaining cleaner lines through the turns while capitalizing on their strong push-starts. With a tight battle for the top eight spots, a podium finish remains a possibility if they can improve their second-run execution.

The final two heats of the IBSF Two-Woman Bobsleigh World Championships are set for Saturday, March 16 in Lake Placid, where Williams and Beierl will aim to climb the rankings and finish among the world's best.