JEFF CHRISTIE CLOCKS FASTEST RUN EVER ON HOME TRACK EN ROUTE TO SIXTH-PLACE FINISH AT CALGARY WORLD CUP
The 23-year-old Calgarian, who was sitting in 11th spot after the first run, posted a lightning quick time of 44.855 seconds, which was the fourth-fastest time in the second heat. The leader of the Canadian men’s luge team made his way to the leader’s circle, and watched the next five sliders come down behind him, bumping him into sixth place, and his best World Cup finish of the season with a combined time of one minute 29.864 seconds.
“That was the best run I’ve ever had on this track, and I will take so much away from this,” said Christie, who has been followed around this week in Calgary by an Entertainment Tonight Canada camera crew who are profiling the sexiest men in Canadian winter sport. “My goal was to get into the top-10, because I know if you are in that league, anything can happen because it is so tight as we saw tonight.”
Tight is an understatement. Christie was one of 16 athletes who were within .6 seconds of the leading mark after the first run.
“This was by far the closest race I’ve been a part of on the World Cup,” said Christie. “So many guys were so close to the lead. It shows how strong the field is, and I have a lot of confidence now heading to Japan knowing I can compete with the best.”
When the dust finally settled, it was Germany’s David Möller who came out on top of the podium, claiming his third victory on the Olympic Track in Calgary with a time of 1:29.355. Latvia’s Martins Rubenis settled for the silver medal with a time of 1:29.533, while Switzerland’s Stefan Höhener was third at 1:29.663.
Four other Canadians were also in the field on Saturday afternoon. Calgary’s Matt McMurray finished 22nd at 1:30.518, and Nick Olson finished 26th at 1:31.241. Olympians Sam Edney, of Calgary, finished 29th 1:31.544, while Ian Cockerline, also of Calgary, who put down a great first run, crashed mid-way down the track during the second heat, and settled for 31st (1:40.335) after he was able to flip back onto his sled.
The 2006 Viessmann Luge World Cup will go down as one of the best ever events staged at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The Canadian Luge Association and CODA joined forces to improve the overall event, and ultimately, attract more spectators to the sport. Live bands, interactive games, free luge rides and a draw for a Sony Playstation 3 all contributed to a significantly upgraded event.
“Through partnering with CODA and our dedicated volunteers, we are committed to building this event and hopefully introducing more Canadians to our unique Olympic sport,” said Tim Farstad, executive director, Canadian Luge Association. “We know this is a work in progress, but we have come a long way this year and our entire team appreciates the support of the Calgary community this week.”
The Canadian Luge Team heads to Nagano, Japan on Sunday for the final World Cup before the holiday break, December 15-17, 2006.
The Canadian Luge Association is the governing body for luge racing in Canada. 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.
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FOR COMPLETE RESULTS: www.fil-luge.org
Top-5 Men’s Results:
1. David Möller, GER, 1:29.355; 2. Martins Rubenis, LAT, 1:29.533; 3. Stefan Höhener, SUI, 1:29.663; 4. Armin Zöggeler, ITA, 1:29.738; 5. Daniel Pfister, AUT, 1:29.850
Other Canadian Results:
6. Jeff Christie, Calgary, 1:29.864; 22. Matt McMurray, Calgary, 1:30.518;
26. Nick Olson, Calgary, 1:31.241; 29. Sam Edney, Calgary, 1:31.544; 31. Ian Cockerline, Calgary, 1:40.355.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Media and Public Relations
Canadian Luge Association
T: 403-247-5423