Luge Canada

Inconsistency Costs Canadian Luge Athletes at Winterberg World Cup

Tristan Walker and Justin Snith finish fourth in doubles at Junior World CupA lack of run volume during training week and inconsistency on race day cost Canada's top men's luge athletes a spot in the top of the standings at the World Cup in Winterberg, Germany on Saturday.

Getting run volume on these tracks is key and without that it is tough to succeed, said Wolfgang, Staudinger, head coach, Canadian Luge Team, who adds the Canadians get six runs on European tracks each week. We need to find a way to approach this to be ready or we will always have a tough time on these European tracks because things are not going to change.

Jeff Christie was the top Canadian in 18th spot with a time of one minute 47.892 seconds, while Sam Edney was 26th (1:48.364) and Ian Cockerline was 30th (1:48.671). The three Calgarians all had moments of brilliance in the final World Cup stop before the holiday break, but fell short of putting it all together. Christie, who pulled starts equal to the leaders on Saturday, was on pace to one of the fastest runs in the second heat when his sled began to skid in the final corner costing him loads of time.

The positive is the entire team continues to improve, said Staudinger. These guys know 100 per cent if they put down their best run they will have no problem cracking the top-10, but we have to be consistent.

Italy's Armin Zöggeler is the model of consistency, winning the men's race with a time of 1:46.490. Germany's David Möller was second at 1:46.512, while his teammate, Johannes Ludwig, slid to the bronze-medal position on the podium with a time of 1:46.670.

Meanwhile Canada's junior luge athletes wrapped up a steady first half of the season down the road in Oberhof, Germany on Saturday. Winning two medals in men's doubles and the team competition already this season, the junior Canucks threatened for the podium again in Oberhof.

Top performances included Calgary's Tristan Walker and Justin Snith finished fourth in men's doubles. Elena Corrigal and Kimberley McRae finishing fifth and sixth respectively in the woemn's Youth A division, while Arianne Jones was seventh and Denae Delcourt eighth in junior women's action.

The Luge World Cup continues on Sunday in Winterberg, Germany with the women's race.

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.

COMPLETE RESULTS: www.fil-luge.org
Men's Top-Five Results:
1. Armin Zöggeler, ITA, 1:46.490; 2. David Möller, GER, 1:46.512; 3. Johannes Ludwig, GER, 1:46.678; 4. Jan Eichorn, GER, 1:46.826; 5. Andi Langenhan, GER, 1:46.833.

Canadian Results:
18. Jeff Christie, Calgary, 1:47.892; 26. Sam Edney, Calgary, 1:48.364; 30. Ian Cockerline, Calgary, 1:48.761.

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