Luge Canada

CANADIAN JUNIOR LUGE TEAM GRABS THEIR FIRST MEDAL OF THE SEASON

- Rookie slider Tristan Walker posts silver medal result at Junior Luge World Cup-As Canada’s senior luge squad prepares to host the world on its home track in Calgary, the national program received an encouraging boost from the outstanding results achieved by the up-and-coming young athletes on the Junior World Cup circuit.

Coming off a strong result in the first Junior Luge World Cup, 15-year-old Tristan Walker took it one step further today, right onto the podium. The Calgary native nabbed the silver medal in the Youth A men’s division, posting a time of one minute 32.434 seconds.

“After my fourth place result in the last race, I was feeling really confident that I could get to the podium this time,” said Walker. “I was sitting in fourth again after the first run and thought I had a really good second run. It felt so awesome to stand at the finish and watch as I moved up in the standings.”

Walker moved up two spots in the final heat to claim the silver, behind Germany’s Kevin Weihs who finished with a time of 1:32.253. Ralf Palik, also of Germany, took the bronze, crossing the line in 1:32.564. Fellow young Canuck, Stefan Rath grabbed his second top-10 of the season, finishing in ninth with a time of 1:33.062.

This result moves Walker into third place in the overall Youth A men’s standings, just five points behind second.

The Canadian Luge Association 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.

Complete Results: www.fil-luge.org

Youth A Men’s Results:

1. Kevin Weihs, GER, 1:32.253; 2. Tristan Walker, Calgary, Alta., 1:32.434; 3. Ralf Palik, GER, 1:32.564; 4. Georgi Talypov, RUS, 1:32.653; 5. Semen Pavilchenko, RUS, 1:32.675

Other Canadian Results:

9. Stefan Rath, Calgary, Alta., 1:33.062; 18. David Adair, Calgary, Alta., 1:33.738

Junior Men’s Results:

1. Manuel Pfister, AUT, 1:53.546; 2. Wolfgang Kindl, AUT, 1:53.900; 3. Peter Fischer, GER, 1:53.971; 4. Christopher Mazdzer, USA, 1:54.076; 5. Phil Gortitzer, GER, 1:54.336

Canadian Results:

17. Cameron Gunn, Calgary, Alta., 1:55.850; 22. Brendan Hauptman, Penticton, B.C., 1:56.363

Junior Women’s Results:

1. Steffi Sieger, GER, 1:30.869; 2. Natalie Geisenberger, GER, 1:31.173;
3. Madeleine Teuber, GER, 1:31.405; 4. Carina Schwab, GER, 1:31.465; 5. Anastasia Young, USA, 1:31.813

Canadian Results:

11. Andrea Petersen, Calgary, Alta., 1:33.113; 12. Denae Delcourt, Calgary, Alta., 1:33.183

Youth A Women’s Results:

1. Daniela Schwab, GER, 1:32.610; 2. Dajana Eitberger, GER, 1:32.723;
3. Andrea Metzenleitner, GER, 1:32.990; 4. Tatiana Ivanova, RUS, 1:33.347;
5. Sara Zoschg, ITA, 1:33.526

Canadian Results:

DNF Arianne Jones, Calgary, Alta.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Media and Public Relations
Canadian Luge Association
T: 403-470-9546