Kim McRae Slides into Sixth to Finish as Top Canuck at Luge World Cup in Germany

ALTENBERG, Ger.—Calgarians, Kim McRae and Arianne Jones, both slid into the top-10 in their final Luge World Cup race of the season in Altenberg, Germany on Sunday.

The 22-year-old McRae put together two solid runs to lead the Canucks with a sixth-place time of 1:46.225 on the challenging track in Altenberg, Germany.

“Overall today was a pretty good race with two consistent and clean runs so I am very happy with the result,” said McRae. “I felt myself stretching out in the corners, and gaining time on the way down.”

It was a strong ending to what has been a challenging season for McRae – one she entered with loads of optimism following her fifth-place finish at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and her first World Cup medal last year.

“This season has been a tough one for me for sure,” added McRae. “I definitely put high expectations on myself, which didn’t work very well. I felt very inconsistent in my sliding – especially going from training to race – so that's something to build on for next year. The year was filled with lessons. I’m ready for some down time, then hit the gym this summer.”

Arianne Jones, 24, capped off a memorable year with an eight-place finish. Jones, who was regularly in the top-10 during the post-Olympic year and captured her first career World Cup medal on her home track in Calgary, clocked-in at 1:46.332.

Germany swept the women’s podium. Natalie Geisenberger won the gold with a time of 1:45.585. Tatjana Huefner was second at 1:45.868, while Dajana Eitberger slid to the bronze at 1:45.915.

Alex Gough returned to school following the World Championships, and did not race. The Canadians will not compete in the final World Cup race of the year in Sochi, Russia.

The Canadian Luge Association is a not-for-profit organization responsible for governing the sport of luge across the country. With the financial backing of from the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium, the Canadian Luge Association safely recruits and develops the nation’s current and future high-performance luge athletes with the goal of regularly climbing onto the international podium. For more information on the Canadian Luge Association, please visit us at www.luge.ca on the Internet.

COMPLETE RESULTS: www.fil-luge.org

Women’s Top-Five and Canadian Results:

1.Natalie Geisenberger, GER, 1:45.585; 2. Tatjana Huefner, GER, 1:45.868; 3. Dajana Eitberger, GER, 1:45.915; 4. Erin Hamlin, USA, 1:45.924; 5. Anke Wischnewski, GER, 1:46.177

Canadian Results:

6. Kim McRae, Calgary, 1:46.225; 8. Arianne Jones, Calgary, 1:46.332