A historic day in luge leads to three World Cup podiums
A relay gold medal headlined Canada’s stellar luge weekend, that also saw Kimberley McRae and Alex Gough share the FIL World Cup podium in Lake Placid.
A week after opening the World Cup season in Germany, Canadian luge athletes made history winning their first complete set of World Cup medals – one gold, silver and bronze – at a single competition.
Kimberley McRae and Alex celebrate on the World Cup podium on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in Lake Placid. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Canada’s first taste of success in Lake Placid came from a double podium in the women’s event. McRae speed to a silver, after she registered a combined time of one minute 28.706 seconds. Three- time Olympian Gough finished just behind her teammate, passing the line in 1:28.723s to secure bronze. This was the second time McRae and Gough shared a World Cup podium, the first was in 2014 when they became the first Canadians to medal in the same luge event.
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“A lot of pieces have come together over the last few weeks so it felt incredible to stand on the podium and to share it with Alex was unreal,” said McRae to Luge Canada. “To stand on the podium and see the Canadian flag on both sides of it brought tears to my eyes.”
Germany’s Tatjana Huefner won the women’s compeition in 1:28.638s.
With her first World Cup medal on the season in the books, Sochi 2014 Olympian McRae headed back to the track with Sam Edney, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith for relay. The quartette’s gold medal run of 2:34.627s was the perfect ending to the team’s successful day.
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After a historic weekend on the road, the Canadian will come home for the third stop on the World Cup circuit in Whistler from December 9-10.
