USA Luge athletes compete in final Junior World Cup

SIGULDA, Latvia—Following the conclusion of the Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina last month, the future stars of the sport were once again on the ice, this time 30 miles outside of the Latvian capital of Riga in Sigulda. The race featured athletes aged 20 and under. 

Brianna Gosnell (Evansburg, Pa.) placed 10th in the women’s singles competition. Ellie Kleinheinz (Santa Clara, Calif.) and Maggie Richardson (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) both did not finish the race, which was won by Alexandra Oberstolz of Italy. Josephine Buse of Germany was second and Antonia Pietschmann, also of Germany, was third. 

In women’s doubles, Gosnell returned with teammate Sadie Martin (Vermontville, N.Y.) to finish fifth. Lilly Bierast and Leandra Claus of Germany were first, Elina Pamzinana and Anna Aizupe of Latvia placed second, and Amanda Ogorodnikova and Selina Zvilna, also of Latvia, were third. 

The lone U.S. entry in men’s singles was Logan Barnes (Clarksville, Tenn.), who placed ninth. Latvian Janis Gruzdulis-Borovojs was the race winner. Italy’s Leon Haselrieder was second and Hannes Roder of Germany was third. 

The track in Sigulda presented a challenge to the young U.S. men’s doubles teams. Nate Bivins (Castleton, N.Y.) and Wolfgang Lux (Swanton, Vt.) did not finish the race, with Gabe Desautels (Georgia, Vt.) and Gavin Davis (Berwick, Pa.) suffering the same fate. Johannes Scharnagl and Moritz Schiegl of Austria were the winners, followed by Phillipp Bruner and Manuel Weissensteiner of Italy in second, with Edvards Markitans and Roberts Lazdans of Latvia in third. 

Kleinheinz finished the season ranked 19th in the overall standings, Gosnell 20th and Richardson 22nd. Martin and Gosnell were ninth in women's doubles. Barnes was 16th, while Seth Coates (Potsdam. N.Y.) was 19th and Desautels 34th in men's singles. Desautels and Davis placed ninth in men's doubles, with Bivins and Lux 12th.

The U.S. team did not compete in the first two events of the season.

While this was the final international event on the Junior calendar, the season is not over for the young athletes of USA Luge. The Norton Youth National Championships, for athletes to ages 17, will take place March 7, in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Norton Junior National Championships will be held on March 14, also in Lake Placid, and will feature athletes to age 20.