Innsbruck (pps) First he was named flagbearer for Italy at the Opening Ceremony, then he won the gold medal: With his partner Simon Kanzwaldner, flagbearer Florian Gruber earned the doubles gold medal at the inaugural winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. “This is just great, simply amazing,” Gruber said. Numerous fans had come from South Tyrol, home of the doubles team, to cheer them on. “I really can’t believe it,” added Kanzwaldner.
There was a great festival atmosphere at the finish area of the artificially refrigerated track at the foot of the Patscherkofel Mountain when the German doubles Tim Brendl and Florian Funk earned silver ahead of Ty Andersen and Pat Edmunds (USA) who thus continued the long tradition of successful US doubles. At the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Chris Thorpe and Gordy Sheer as well as teammates Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin earned silver and bronze, respectively, the first US medals in the doubles at Olympic Games. In Salt Lake City four years later, again two US doubles teams won the silver and bronze medal – this time the medalists were Mark Grimmette-Brian Martin and Chris Thorpe-Clay Ives.
The athletes were delighted with the great atmosphere at the track. Numerous school classes visited the luge competions and – on the spur of the moment – decided to have a party at the track.
