Calgary (pps) The US luge team made the best promotion for the Viessmann Luge World Cup on the coming weekend in Lake Placid, USA (December 16-17), by gaining two victories in Calgary last Friday and Saturday. Prior to the World Cup event in their home-track, Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin in the doubles and the team in the team event achieved their first wins this season. The only set-back was Tony Benshoof’s disqualification in the men’s singles because of overweight.
Because of the disqualification, Benshoof (240 points) dropped to fourth place in the overall rankings behind Russia’s title holder and leader Albert Demchenko (340), and Italy’s five-time World champion Armin Zoeggeler (244).

Thanks to her second victory of the season since Sigulda, Latvia, Germany’s Silke Kraushaar (355) extended her lead to 50 points towards her team-mate and reigning World champion Sylke Otto (305). “Despite the upcoming Olympics, the victory in the overall World Cup certainly is a desirable goal”, the 1998 Olympic champion said after her 26th World Cup win. One may expect a lot of American Regan Lauscher in Lake Placid, particularly since her best time in the team event in Calgary and her second place in the Viessmann Luge World Cup in Lake Placid last year.

Italy’s title holders Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber (300) are leading in the doubles. Austria’s Tobias Schiegl-Markus Schiegl (“We don’t know why everything is going so well for us“) follow with just 15 points back (285). Germany’s 2002 Olympic champions Patrick Leitner-Alexander Resch are in third position with 266 points. The Latvian brothers Andris and Juris Sics came a surprising second in Calgary, but they had already shown their potential by achieving the second-best time in the second heat at Altenberg, Germany.