Grimmette and Martin Place Eighth in World Cup Luge Race
Gordy Sheer - U.S. Luge Association January 03, 2009
(KÖNIGSSEE, Germany) --- Under clear and cold conditions, Americans Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich. and Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif. and Lake Placid, N.Y.) finished in the top ten for the third race in a row.
Grimmette and Martin, two-time Olympic medalists, crossed the finish line in one minute 35.517 seconds after two heats of competition and finished eighth. The duo is ranked eight in the overall World Cup standings with 172 points, with four out of nine events complete.
"Our runs were pretty solid with some small mistakes but nothing that cost us too much time," said Martin, who then added "We were running (our steels) a little too sharp, which did cost us time".
Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.) finished one place behind Grimmette and Martin in ninth with a time of 1:35.559. Niccum and Joye are currently ranked ninth in the overall World Cup with 162 points.
German 2002 Olympic Champions Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch won their seventh consecutive World Cup event in Königssee, stopping the clock at 1:34.616. Countrymen Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt finished in second at 1:34.686, while reigning Olympic Champions Wolfgang and Andreas Linger of Austria were third with a time of 1:34.782.
Italians Christian Oberstoltz and Patric Gruber sit on top of the overall World Cup standings with 320 points. Linger and Linger hold second place with 290 points, while Leitner and Resch have moved into third place with 264 points.
In the women's competition, Erin Hamlin led the U.S. team with an 11th place finish and a time of 1:36.807. Teammate Ashley Walden finished 14th with a combined time of 1:37.034. Hamlin is ranked sixth in the overall World Cup with 170 points, while Walden sits in 11th with 123 points.
Reigning Olympic Champion Tatjana Hüfner of Germany won with a time of 1:34.948, easily beating her teammate Natalie Geisenberger, who crossed the finish line over five tenths of a second behind with a time of 1:35.477. Anke Wischnewski was third at 1:35.712.
In women's overall World Cup rankings, Hüfner leads with 385, Geisenberger is second with 330 points and Wischnewski sits in third with 280 points.
Racing resumes tomorrow with the men's and team relay competitions and can be seen at www.universalsports.com.
For more on the Fastest Sport on Ice®, log on to www.usaluge.org
Grimmette and Martin, two-time Olympic medalists, crossed the finish line in one minute 35.517 seconds after two heats of competition and finished eighth. The duo is ranked eight in the overall World Cup standings with 172 points, with four out of nine events complete.
"Our runs were pretty solid with some small mistakes but nothing that cost us too much time," said Martin, who then added "We were running (our steels) a little too sharp, which did cost us time".
Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.) finished one place behind Grimmette and Martin in ninth with a time of 1:35.559. Niccum and Joye are currently ranked ninth in the overall World Cup with 162 points.
German 2002 Olympic Champions Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch won their seventh consecutive World Cup event in Königssee, stopping the clock at 1:34.616. Countrymen Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt finished in second at 1:34.686, while reigning Olympic Champions Wolfgang and Andreas Linger of Austria were third with a time of 1:34.782.
Italians Christian Oberstoltz and Patric Gruber sit on top of the overall World Cup standings with 320 points. Linger and Linger hold second place with 290 points, while Leitner and Resch have moved into third place with 264 points.
In the women's competition, Erin Hamlin led the U.S. team with an 11th place finish and a time of 1:36.807. Teammate Ashley Walden finished 14th with a combined time of 1:37.034. Hamlin is ranked sixth in the overall World Cup with 170 points, while Walden sits in 11th with 123 points.
Reigning Olympic Champion Tatjana Hüfner of Germany won with a time of 1:34.948, easily beating her teammate Natalie Geisenberger, who crossed the finish line over five tenths of a second behind with a time of 1:35.477. Anke Wischnewski was third at 1:35.712.
In women's overall World Cup rankings, Hüfner leads with 385, Geisenberger is second with 330 points and Wischnewski sits in third with 280 points.
Racing resumes tomorrow with the men's and team relay competitions and can be seen at www.universalsports.com.
For more on the Fastest Sport on Ice®, log on to www.usaluge.org
