USA Luge Juniors win Team bronze in Lillehammer, Norway

LILLEHAMMER, Norway — U.S. Junior Luge athletes posted notable results on Friday, Feb. 13, during the Junior World Cup races hosted at the Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway. American sliders gained valuable international experience while posting competitive times across men’s singles, women’s singles and doubles disciplines. The highlight of the event was the United States bronze medal in the team event.

Ellie Kleinheinz (Santa Clara, Calif.), Logan Barnes (Clarksville, Tenn.) and the doubles team of Nate Bivins (Castleton, N.Y.) and Wolfgang Lux (Swanton, Vt.) combined to a third place time of 2:37.561 in a race won by Germany. Austira were second.

Junior Men’s Singles saw solid performances from the U.S. contingent. Barnes finished 9th with a two-run time of 1:39.485, while Seth Coates (Potsdam, N.Y.) was 14th in 1:40.090. Barnes and Coates showcased steady performances on the challenging Lillehammer ice as they continue to develop on the international circuit. 

Topping the podium in men’s singles was Ola Brandstadmoen of Norway, who took first with a time of 1:37.989. Marco Leger of Germany finished second in 1:38.040, and Hannes Roeder of Germany claimed third with a time of 1:38.422. 

Junior Women’s Singles featured three strong U.S. entries. Kleinheinz placed 15th in 1:36.999, Brianna Gosnell (Evansburg, Pa.) was 17th in 1:37.284, and Maggie Richardson (Mt. Vernon, Ohio)finished 18th in 1:37.315. All three athletes gained crucial World Cup points and valuable racing experience among a deep international field. 

Germany’s Anka Jaenicke earned the gold medal in the women’s event with a commanding time of 1:34.129. Alexandra Oberstolz of Italy took silver in 1:34.699, and Laura Koch of Germany rounded out the podium in 1:34.896. 

In Junior Men’s Doubles, the U.S. crews posted competitive results. Bivins and Lux finished sixth in 1:45.994, while Gabe Desautels (Georgia, Vt.) and Gavin Davis (Berwick, Pa.) were ninth in 1:48.427. 

The men’s doubles podium was topped by Silas Sartor and Liron Raimer of Germany, who won gold Edvards Marts and Roberts Lazdans of Latvia took silver and Louis Gruenbeck and Maximillian Kuehert of Germany claimed bronze. 

In Junior Women’s Doubles, U.S. pair Sadie Martin (Vermontville, N.Y.) and Brianna Gosnell (Evansburg, Pa.) did not finish in the competition. The event was won by Alexandra Oberstolz and Katharina Kofler of Italy in 1:45.699. Lilly Bierast and Leandra Claus of Germany took the silver medal in 1:46.300, and Lina Angelika Riedl and Anna Lerch of Austria earned bronze in 1:46.343. 

Junior World Cup action continues later this season, and the Norton Youth and Junior National Championships will take place in Lake Placid, N.Y., March 7 and March 14, respectively.