Moffat brothers continue luge comeback with sixth-place finish on their home track
-Track record holders Grimmette
The Calgary natives, who recently cemented their qualification for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, posted their third top-eight finish in as many World Cup races since returning to the track after a three-year hiatus.
"We're back and we're happy to be here. We're hungry to be here," said elder brother Chris, 26, who posted Canada's best ever Olympic luge result when he slid to a fifth-place finish with then doubles partner Eric Pothier at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
The sibling duo entered the second heat in third place after posting a time of 44.139 seconds on their first trip down the track. They clocked in at 44.208 on their second run for a combined total of 1:28.347.
"We were within striking distance after putting down a good run on the first run," said younger brother Mike, 23, also a veteran of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. "We ran into some problems halfway down our second run. We hung onto the curb a bit too long going into the finish corner."
With their date in Torino set for February, however, the Moffats are upbeat as they slide further into the pivotal 2005-06 World Cup campaign.
"We were really close today and to taste that is a bit bittersweet," said Chris. "But we still have a whole half-season of World Cup races and the Olympic Games to look forward. We're really close to where we want to be and we're ready to step forward from here."
Joining the Moffats in the top-ten was the team of Grant Albrecht and Pothier, former sliding partners of Mike and Chris Moffat, respectively. Albrecht and Pothier recorded a ninth-place finish with a time of 1:28.483.
Claiming the gold medal was the American tandem of Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, the Canada Olympic Park track record holders. The duo, which set the benchmark in 2002, slid to the top spot in the podium with a two-run time of 1:27.912. The Latvian team of Andris and Juris Sics took silver after clocking in at 1:27.914, while Austria's Tobias and Markus Schiegl tallied 1:28.032 en route to the bronze medal.
The Veissmann Luge World Cup in Calgary continues today with the women's event and tomorrow with men's singles competition.
The Canadian Luge Associaton is the governing body for luge racing in Canada. In partnership with CODA, the Canadian Luge Association operates the Olympic Luge Training Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, which develops our nation's high-performance luge athletes and promotes the sport across the country. For more information on the Canadian Luge Association, please visit us at www.luge.ca on the Internet.
For complete results, see www.fil-luge.org
Doubles Top-Five Results (16 sleds):
1.Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, USA, 1:27.912; 2. Andris and Juris Sics, LAT, 1:27.974; 3. Tobias and Markus Schiegl, AUT, 1:28.032 4. Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder, ITA, 1:28.076; Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber, ITA, 1:28.170.
Canadian Doubles Results:
6. Chris and Mike Moffat, Calgary, 1:28.347; 9. Grant Albrecht, Red Deer, Alta., and Eric Pothier, Airdrie, Alta., 1:28.483.
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| Chris Dornan CODA, Communications Specialist C: 403-585-0254 |