The FIBT World Championships 1961 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States for the second time after hosting the event previously in 1949.
Two man bobsleigh
| Pos | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold |  Italy (Eugenio Monti, Sergio Siorpaes) | |
| Silver |  United States (Gary Sheffield, Jerry Tennant) | |
| Bronze | Italy (Sergio Zardini, Romano Bonagura) |
Monti won his fifth straight championship in this event, a record that still stands as of 2008. Zardini won his third straight championship medal in this event with his third different brakeman.
Four man bobsleigh
| Pos | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Italy (Eugenio Monti, Sergio Siorpaes, Furio Nordio, Renzo Alverà) | |
| Silver | United States (Stanley Benham, Gary Sheffield, Jerry Tennant, Chuck Pandolph) | |
| Bronze |  Sweden (Gunnar Åhs, Gunnar Carpö, Erik Wennerberg, Börje-Bengt Hedblom) |
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy (ITA) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | United States (USA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (3 nations) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |