The Skeleton Boss star wants to catch a glimpse of wet, gray Winterberg: ‘We’re hoping for a little home feature’

“Thank you,” she sounds in elegant Dutch atop a bobsleigh track in Winterberg, Germany. Because then you might be an Olympic bronze medalist, but for skeleton star Kimberly Bose, that’s no reason to be arrogant. And so you thank the official, who has just subjected the sled to a final inspection, well.

This season, Boss still has to find her way around a bit. Her World Cup season began with a fifth place in Whistler, Canada, a seventh place in Park City, USA, and a fifth place on the Lake Placid Olympic banner.

In Winterberg, you want to get to the podium for the first time this year. why not? After all, Winterberg is her main course, the one she has climbed hundreds of times and where she took home wins in the previous two editions.

Game on Friday, but Boss is already in Germany to prepare. No trace of snow, it’s gray and wet in Sauerland. This has consequences for training.

“You do what you can: get off and train,” is the sober message to 29-year-old Eddie. “But to a degree, because if it’s really too slow, it’s no use anymore. Now he’s paddling with the harnesses you have. Then hopefully the weather will be better on Friday.”

Fifth place in the World Cup standings is actually lower than its position. Because in addition to the Olympic bronze, Boss is the reigning European champion and she also won the final classification of the World Cup last season.

“This is my job,” she says, laughing. “You’re also hoping for a little home feature, but it’s still Germany. But a lot of people come to watch: family, friends, acquaintances. I can’t keep up with it all anymore. So I’m really looking forward to it.”

The competition will come mainly from Germany on Friday, where Olympic champion Hannah Ness, world champion and World Cup leader Tina Herrmann and young talent Susanne Kreher will take part. Austrian Janine Flock, winner of the 2021 World Cup, also returned after surgery on her spine.

While training, Bos is looking for the right traces among the streams of water. In such circumstances, job experience and knowledge suddenly become less important. “I’m going for a medal, but in these conditions it’s hard to appreciate. I just want to hit well. And I think it’s hard enough here. But that goes for everyone. We’ll see.”

“I think it’s great that the sport is getting a little bit bigger in the Netherlands,” says Bos. “Snowboarding in the Netherlands was very young and it was getting smaller and smaller. I really enjoy seeing that there is new growth and a serious program. I can contribute by setting an example. I still enjoy every day of my sport.”

Watch Kimberley Bos’ latest run at the Beijing Olympics below, the medal ceremony where she took home the bronze and her reaction at the ceremony at the Ridderzaal in The Hague: