GB’s Mapp opens big lead in Para-bobsleigh World Cup

Great Britain’s Corie Mapp is well placed to retain his overall Para-bobsleigh World Cup title after opening a 131-point lead in Lillehammer.

In the season’s opening six rounds, which all took place on the same track, Mapp has never been off the podium.

The 46-year-old has claimed three golds, a silver and two bronzes so far, concluding the Norway leg of the World Cup season with a third-place finish on Sunday.

Mapp continued his winning ways in Norway with a strong showing in his first four races over the past five days, winning two bronze medals along with back-to-back victories, while showing real consistency in his subsequent four races.

Prior to Sunday’s race, none of the Briton’s main rivals could compete for the overall title with him on the podium.

Latvia’s Arturs Klots claimed victory, finishing 0.06 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Christopher Stewart, while Mapp was a further two hundredths back.

The bronze moved Mapp to 1, 285 points for the season, while Klots climbed to third, on 1, 149 points.

Austrian Hermann Ellmauer remains second on 1, 154, despite finishing Sunday’s race in sixth.

The next two rounds, which will take place on January 31 and February 1, will now be held in Sigulda. The European Championships, which Mapp won last year, will also be held on the Latvian track.