by Mark Weber
Eckville Echo

Eckville’s Mellisa Hollingsworth slid to the top podium step in the women’s skeleton race last Thursday at Whistler, B.C.
Canada’s medal-winning evening began with Hollingsworth landing the gold on a track that has plagued her for two years.
“It’s a super emotional day,” said Hollingsworth, 31, minutes after her near perfect performance on the Whistler Olympic track.
“I had to lay this to rest and win this. It’s got to stop haunting me. I think it was one step last year of being on the podium (winning silver) and showing I can be consistent and now it’s showing that this is my home track and I can slide the fastest here,” she said.
“Today was redemption and a sense of relief.”
Her win came just a few days from the second anniversary of when Hollingsworth experienced defeat at the Olympic Games, dropping from second to fifth following a skid on her final run.
Last Thursday, Hollingsworth was slated to be the final sled down after clocking the fastest opening run at 55.09.She said she couldn’t help comparing those moments of preparation to two years ago.
“As I was warming up, it felt eerie because it was the same month, same setting sun and same place after the second run as that day in 2010 with the opportunity to be on the podium and win the gold medal.
“A lot of people would be dying to be in this position,” she said. “I appreciate being in the number one spot going into (run) number two. I know I’m my own worst enemy. The number one word in front of my head was respect, respect for this track and it was me and my sled.”
Hollingsworth went on to clock a golden time of 1:49.79 to chalk up the seventh World Cup victory and 31st medal in her 17-year career.
This moved her into third spot in the overall World Cup standings with one race remaining in Calgary this week.
“The first (victory) is huge, but this is the biggest one of my career,” said Hollingsworth, who also has an Olympic bronze and two World Championship medals.
“It is a couple of years late, but that doesn’t mean it is not going to help me moving forward towards Sochi (the 2014 Winter Olympics).”
Kaillie Humphries and Emily Baadsvik continued Canada’s golden trail in the women’s bobsleigh event on Feb. 2 where Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown also teamed up to win the bronze.