Jānis Miņins

Who is Jānis Miņins?

Jānis Miņins is a Latvian bobsledder who has competed since 1999. He won a bronze medal in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships 2009 in Lake Placid, New York, earning the country its first championship medal ever.

In the 2004–05 season his best placing was a sixth place in the 4-man bob in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Winterberg, both times with Juris Latiss, Ainārs Podnieks and Jānis Ozols. For the 2005–06 season he changed his team mates, retaining Ozols but bringing in Mārcis Rullis and Intars Dīcmanis to the four-man bob. However, his team fell to a best place of 10th, and he has had his best placing in the World Cup this season at the World Cup in Igls, with a fourth place together with Daumants Dreiškens. He placed first at the Latvian selection event for the Olympic Games in Sigulda, and has been selected to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics where he finished sixth in the two-man event and tenth in the four-man event.

Miņins missed the 2010 Winter Olympics, because of an appendix surgery he went through, when he had already arrived in Canada just days before the Olympic start. This prevented him from competing in the two-man event, but attempted to return to the four-man event before finally withdrawing to pain still experienced following his surgery and injuries to other crew members.