We are hearing that Canada names it’s eight person team to represent the country in the Luge competition at the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Olympic games.
So now that we know that – what exactly is the sport of Luge?
Simply put it’s a small either one or two person sled where they are face up and the steering is done when one flexes the sled runners with the calf of each leg or by exerting shoulder pressure to the seat of the sled.
The sled ranges in weight from 46-55 lbs for singles and 55-66 lbs for doubles and can carry the racers down the track reaching speeds of up to 87 mph or 140 km per hour, but one such racer Manuel Pfister of Austria reached a speed of 95.69 mph in Whistler prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics.
It’s reported that the first recorded use of the term “luge” dates back to 1905 and comes from the Savoy/Swiss dialect of French “luge” meaning “small coasting sled”, and is possibly from a Gaulish word with the same meaning of the English word sled.
Now that we know that it’s important to know that Luge is one of the three winter sports that Canada has never won an Olympic medal in.
It’s reported that the National Women’s team has two possible podium contenders, Alex Gough and Kim McRae, but both have won individual world championship medals.
Gough has won 25 World Cup medals in her career and is Canada’s most successful luge athlete ever. But it took her some time to become comfortable at the top.
McRae mentioned that winning Bronze at the 2017 World Championships built her confidence and getting a medal was huge knowing that she can accomplish whatever she set’s her sights on.
The pair finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in Sochi with both being possible threats to stand on the podium in PyeongChang representing Canada.
They shared a podium this past weekend at the FIL World Cup in Lake Placid, winning silver and bronze at the final World Cup event that counted toward Olympic qualification.
The Men’s team will be led by Sam Edney who enters his fourth Olympic games and as he mentioned to the media “Having the opportunity to even pursue this dream, and have the chance to compete for a medal, is something few ever get to experience once, let alone four times, so I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to continue chasing this dream for Canada with so many supporters behind me.”
A short two weeks ago he managed to grab one of his best results of his career earning Silver in the Men’s Singles and at the end of last season he won Bronze at the World Championship in PyeongChang.
Justin smith and Tristan Walker are making their third Olympic appearance in the doubles and four short years ago they finished a close 0.05 seconds away from the podium, but have faced injury problems or concerns since then.
Snith trained and competed on a broken ankle for fourteen months before having surgery after the 2016 World Championships. He also had to manage a torn ligament in his knee.
Brooke Apshkrum and Reid Watts are the “rookies” to the team, but both were on the podium at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, but this is the first real test.
Mitchel Malyk is also another returning team member from Sochi 2014, playing a huge role in the success of Canada’s that claimed Bronze at the 2016 World Championships.
