USA places fifth in mixed doubles, West tenth to close out Oberhof World Cup
by Gordy Sheer
Oberhof World Cup 2 2024-25#
6 photos
OBERHOF, Germany—For the second time this season, the World Cup tour stopped in Oberhof. While yesterday saw track records fall in the women’s singles and doubles competitions, athletes were greeted by rain, snow, and slower conditions today.
In the mixed event, the doubles teams of Marcus Mueller-Ansel Haugsjaa and Chevonne Forgan-Sophia Kirkby placed fifth.
Tucker West led the men’s singles effort for the United States, placing tenth.
Mixed event
The mixed event featured two sleds: a men’s singles and a women’s singles sled, or a men’s doubles and a women’s doubles sled. In the singles sled competition, the male athlete takes his run like a normal trip down the track, but instead of the clock stopping at the traditional finish line, he strikes a pad hanging over the track, which opens the gate for the female athlete. The clock stops when she strikes the pad at the bottom of the track. Doubles follow the same format.
In the singles competition, USA 2 featuring West (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Ashley Farquharson (Park City, Utah) placed fifth in 1:37.494. USA 1, consisting of Jonny Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.) and Summer Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.), was 11th in 1:38.745.
Germany 2 and Germany 1 finished first and second in 1:36.948 and 1:37.130, respectively. Austria 2 was third in 1:37.408.
In doubles, USA 2, represented by Mueller (Brookfield, Wisc.)-Haugsjaa (Framingham, Mass.)/Forgan (Chelmsford, Mass.)-Kirkby (Lake Placid, N.Y.) placed fifth in 1:36.945. Zack DiGregorio (Medway, Mass.)-Sean Hollander (Lake Placid, N.Y.)/Maya Chan (Chicago, Ill.)-Sophia Gordon (Sussex, Wisc.) represented USA 1. They finished in eighth place with a time of 1:37.978.
The race was won by Germany 1 in 1:36.365, with Austria in second with a time of 1:36.547. Italy 1 was third in 1:36.705.
Men’s singles
Three-time Olympian West, who has one of the fastest starts in the world, saw that advantage somewhat neutralized on the short Oberhof ramp. His start times were ninth and tenth place, respectively. He finished tenth in 1:26.746. Gustafson, a 2022 Olympian, had a difficult first heat and landed in 18th place with a time of 1:27.179. Hunter Harris (East Fairfield, Vt.), competing in a truncated season, was 29th with a one-run time of 44.324. Only the top 20 sleds advance to the second heat.
The home team got a bit of satisfaction after being locked out of gold at the first Oberhof event of the season, with Germans Max Langenhan and Felix Loch finishing 1-2. Their times were 1:25.895 and 1:26.134, respectively. Austrian Wolfgang Kindl was third in 1:26.257. Kindl won medals in three of four events held this weekend.
World Cup standings
In men’s singles, Gustafson sits in 11th place after seven of nine events with 210 points. West is 12th with 198. Aidan Mueller (West Islip, N.Y.) is 27th with 85 points. Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) is 32nd with 52 points, and Harris is 35th with 35 points.
Langenhan leads with 556 points. Nico Gleirscher of Austria is second with 516 points, and Loch is third with 455.
World Cup racing pauses next weekend as the circuit moves to North America for the 53rd FIL World Championships held in Whistler, Canada, from February 6-8, 2025. All races can be seen on the FIL YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FILLuge_Channel