Cochrane luger Tristan Walker and doubles teammate Justin Snith of Calgary won a silver medal in a World Cup luge team-relay event Jan. 19 in Altenberg, Germany.
The Canadian doubles lugers teamed up with singles sliders Samuel Edney and Alex Gough to post a combined time of two minutes, 26.191 seconds, just over a half second behind gold-medal winning Russia.
It is the fourth World Cup team-relay silver for the Canadian team this season, as Canada is second in World Cup team-relay standings with 400 points with less than a month to go before the 2014 Winter Olympic Games open Feb. 7 in Sochi, Russia.
Walker and Snith took silver in Altenberg a day after finishing eighth in the World Cup doubles event Jan. 18. That race was the second seeding event of three for the Olympics. Walker and Snith currently sit seventh in World Cup doubles luge standings.
Canada’s luge contingent has one more World Cup event, Jan. 25-26 in Sigulda, Latvia, before the Olympics.
“We’re in Latvia right now getting ready for the last World Cup before the Olympics,” Walker explained in an e-mail to The Eagle.
“The last two weeks have been a bit of a grind. Oberhof has been a notoriously difficult track for us in the past but this year we seemed to get it somewhat under control. Altenberg there was a bit of a battle with track conditions so we made the best of the hand we were dealt. I know coming from a podium finish in Konigssee, two eighth-places may not seem like great results, but I believe we’re right where we need to be. The most important thing about the last three World Cups before the Olympics are getting solid, safe top-10 finishes. The top-10 ranked sleds (or seeded group) get put into a random draw for the best start numbers at the Olympics and the rest of the field follows in order of rank. This is crucial because ice conditions in Sochi can deteriorate pretty quickly.”
And support is starting to roll in for Walker and Snith’s Olympic effort, as Cochrane Coffee Traders on 2nd Ave. has a Canadian flag well-wishers can sign for a toonie or more. All proceeds will go to the Walker-Snith luge team’s Olympic effort. The flag, and the proceeds from the signatures on it, will be presented to Walker’s parents prior to their leaving for Sochi to watch their son compete in the luge events.
You can also contribute to Walker and Snith’s effort online at walker-snith.com
