FILE – Summer Britcher of the United States gestures during the women’s singles race at the Luge World Championships in Oberhof, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Summer Britcher, a luge athlete based in Lake Placid, won her second gold medal of the season on Sunday at the World Cup in Latvia. Britcher was also part of a mixed relay team that won a bronze medal.
American luge athletes have one more weekend of races to qualify for the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Emily RussellAmerican luge athlete wins gold as Team USA prepares Olympic lineup
The Luge track in Latvia is fast and unforgiving. American Emily Fischnaller, who’s from Lake Placid, was in fourth place before she crashed on her second run. Video from the International Luge Federation showed Fischnaller walking off the track, apparently uninjured, but her crash disqualified her from the race.
Up next was her teammate, Britcher. Despite the crash right before her run, Britcher looked focused as she set up her sled and pushed off for her final run at the World Cup race on Sunday.
Britcher was in third place going into the run. She gained speed as she steered herself down the track.
Her sled wobbled slightly in the spot where Fischnaller crashed, but she quickly regained control. As Britcher barreled across the finish line, she had a big smile on her face.
It was not only good enough to win her gold, but it was also the fastest women’s run of the weekend. After her race, Britcher said she was surprised to see her winning time.
“I really did not think it was going to happen, and I tried really hard to not think about the results,” said Britcher.
Those results put her at the top of the overall World Cup standings this season. Britcher was also part of a mixed relay team last weekend that earned bronze. Her teammate, Zack DiGregorio, credited Britcher with giving their team a big boost.
“I think Team USA does a great job in relays, so we saw Summer had tons of speed, so she led us off, gave us a nice, good lead,” said DiGregorio. “We followed through and got up to third place.”
Jonny Gustafson, who grew up in Massena, was part of the relay team that won a bronze medal.
Last weekend was the fourth of five Olympic qualifying races for luge athletes. Britcher is now considered a shoo-in for the upcoming Winter Games, since she also won gold at a World Cup in Park City last month.
The last American woman to medal at the Olympics was in 2014, when Erin Hamlin won a bronze medal.
The final qualifying races are this weekend in Germany. USA Luge is expected to announce its Olympic team next week before the Winter Games begin in Italy on Feb. 6.