Canada's Top Young Lugers Compete for National Junior Championship Titles
Canada's best young lugers competed at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park today for the titles of Canadian Junior Champion.In the doubles event, Calgary's Marshall Savill and Winston Davis carried off the gold medal honours with a time of 1:36.605. This is the second gold medal in a week for Savill and Davis, who won at the Verizon North American Championships held in Salt Lake City last week. The duo of Mike Lane and Matt McMurray, also of Calgary, finished in second place.
Calgary's Jorgen Krause took the gold medal in the Junior II Men's event. The championship title is especially sweet for the nineteen-year-old athlete, who will move into the senior level at the end of the 2001-2001 season. Krause was joined on the podium by Canadian National Junior team mates, Mike Lane and Sam Edney.
In the Junior II Women's event, fifteen-year-old Meaghan Simister won gold with a time championship time of 1:32.687. Meaghan, who usually competes in the Junior I age group, also recorded her best ever World Cup result in Winterberg, Germany last week. Monica Gorham and National Junior team member Abbie Lovatt, finished second and third.
With a time of 1:32.432, Calgary's Mike Jepson captured the gold medal in the Junior I Men's event. The sixteen-year-old athlete, who is vying for a spot on the Canadian National Junior team for the winter Junior World Cup tour, also won gold in Junior I Men's at last week's Verizon North American Junior Championships. Silver and bronze went to Gwyn Lewis and Nick Olson, both of Calgary.
Members of the under-fourteen-years-of-age Canadian Olympic Novice team also competed for national championship titles in their age groups. These young athletes will help ensure that Canada continues to be a force on the international luge scene for many years to come.
Canada's National Junior team will start the winter Junior World Cup tour in Altenberg, Germany with the Third Junior World Cup beginning on January 14th, 2002.
Source: Jennifer Pashniak, CLA
Tim Farstad, CLA-OLTC, 403-247-9884 or tfarstad@coda.ab.ca