Canadian officials have issued a staunch defense of their decision to withdraw four athletes from a skeleton race on Sunday, which meant that American Katie Uhlaender’s hope of making a sixth Olympics disappeared, despite winning the race.
Uhlaender, 41, a double world champion with an Olympic best of fourth in 2014, was a long shot to make the Games, but ?had still been hoping to get in via ranking points.
She won the development race in Lake Placid — her last ?opportunity ?before the Jan. 18 cut-off — but due to the Canadian withdrawals, the field dropped to a ?size that reduced the number of ranking points available, ending Uhlaender’s qualification hopes.
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