Farquharson takes silver, Britcher bronze in Lake Placid
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by Gordy Sheer
Farquharson takes silver, Britcher bronze in Lake Placid
Men’s and women’s doubles races moved to Saturday due to weather conditions
LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Following a morning of deteriorating weather conditions on Friday, December 19, the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup schedule was adjusted to ensure fair competition for all athletes. As a result, the men’s and women’s doubles races were rescheduled to Saturday, December 20, with only the women’s singles race taking place today.
Ashley Farquharson led the U.S. women taking the silver medal with a time of one minute 28.956 seconds. This was the second race in a row for the 2022 Olympian Farquharson (Park City, Utah) to stand on the podium.
Following her gold medal performance in Park City last weekend, Summer Britcher was in sixth place after the first run. The three-time Olympian Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.) posted the second fastest time in the final heat and took the bronze medal in 1:29.054.
Emily Fischnaller was the leader following the first run, but some mistakes in curves eight and 11 cost her time. Fischnaller (Lake Placid, N.Y.) finished fourth with a time of 1:29.071. Emma Erickson (Park City, Utah) placed 16th with a time of 1:30.216, tying her best-ever result.
Germany’s Julia Taubitz won the gold medal in 1:28.824.
The race also served as the American-Pacific Championships. Taking the gold medal was Farquharson, with Britcher second and Fischnaller third. Erickson was fifth.
In overall World Cup standings, Germany’s Merle Fraebel and Austria’s Hannah Prock are tied for first place with 185 points. Dorothea Schwarz of Austria is third with 176.
The U.S. team did not compete in the first World Cup of the season as it was not an Olympic qualifying event. After two races, Britcher leads the U.S. women in fifth place with 170 points, Farquharson moves from 11th to sixth place with 155, Fischnaller is 14th with 90, and Erickson is 26th with 44.
Quotes from USA Luge athletes
Ashley Farquharson: It feels great to be racing at my second home track and feels even better that I was able to be so fast. I'm really looking forward to a little Christmas break and then some more medals!
Summer Britcher: I feel good. It's tough the way it happened, but proud of my runs, happy with my race, happy to have so many people out here supporting me. It was a ton of fun, and I'm looking forward to getting back to racing after Christmas break.
Olympic qualification and Team USA nomination process
The EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Lake Placid is the third of five Olympic qualification races.
Nations earn Olympic spots by earning points through results of the Cortina test event and four pre-Olympic World Cup races. To learn more about the quota system for nations, visit https://www.fil-luge.org/cdn/uploads/milano-cortina-2026-qualification-system-for-luge-v3.pdf
Team USA athletes earn a nomination to the 2026 Olympic Team based on results in the five FIL Olympic qualifying events. An “A tier” result (a top five finish in a full field, as defined by World Cup rules), or two “B tier” results (two results in the top 50% of a full field, as defined by World Cup rules) can earn an Olympic nomination. If an athlete does not earn an “A tier” or “B tier,” then points earned in the five races will be used. For the complete procedure, visit https://www.usaluge.org/selection-processes
Britcher, Farquharson and Fischnaller all earned an “A tier” today. Farquharson has three “A tiers” (fourth place in the Cortina event, third place in Park City and second place in Lake Placid). Britcher has two “A tiers” (first place in Park City and third place in Lake Placid). Fischnaller has one “A tier” after today’s fourth place result.
On or about January 12, 2026, USA Luge will formally announce its list of nominees to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, who will then announce those athletes as members of the 2026 Olympic squad.
Racing continues tomorrow from Lake Placid with the men’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed events.
