Para Bobsleigh World Cup: Corie Mapp extends overall lead

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.

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

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 built on an opening gold and silver in Norway by showing real consistency during four races in the past five days, claiming two bronze medals either side of back-to-back wins.

None of the Briton’s main rivals for the overall title going into Sunday’s race were able to join 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.

Competition now moves to Sigulda for the next two rounds – on 31 January and 1 February. The second event on the Latvian track will double up as the European Championships, which Mapp won last season.

The campaign concludes in St Moritz, Switzerland, with the World Championships on 13-14 February.