Tucker West wins record 12th luge start title | News, Sports, Jobs

This was West’s 12th win at the championships, surpassing his own record. Last year, he earned his 11th title, besting former USA Luge athlete Ashley (Hayden) Walden of Lake Placid, who won 10 start championships.

Summer Britcher also continued her winning ways by capturing the women’s title, and Junior National Team athletes Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa won their first-ever victory in the doubles race. The men’s and women’s doubles teams competed in one group because there was only one women’s doubles entrant.

The winning times were determined by adding two traditional starts and one reaction start together. The reaction start features a gate that randomly opens, as used in the team relay competition. The event is held in late summer annually, and it serves as an informal kick-off to the luge season.

West, of Lake Placid, won the men’s singles event by a wide margin, recording a three-run time of 10.73 seconds.

Team USA Luge’s Chevonne Forgan, front, and Sophia Kirkby celebrate after completing a run during the start championships.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

“I’m thrilled to have won my 12th start competition title,” West wrote in a text after the event. “This year, I took a slightly different approach to my off-season training, focusing more on fitness for my sliding rather than solely on my start. I’m pleased to see that this shift didn’t negatively impact my start performance.

“The start competition is always a great way to cap off our off-season training,” he added. “Now, I’m shifting gears and am looking forward to getting back on the ice in just a few short weeks.”

Hunter Harris of East Fairfield, Vermont, a National Team sophomore, was second in 11.18 seconds, edging out third place finisher and 2022 Olympian Jonny Gustafson of Massena by .01.

The 2024 Junior World Championship silver medalist Matt Greiner of Park City, Utah was fourth in 11.47, while Junior World Cup medalist Aidan Mueller was fifth in 11.58 seconds. Logan Barnes of Clarksville, Tennessee placed sixth in 11.61 seconds.

Five-time World Cup winner and three-time Olympian, Britcher, of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, also won handily, in 11.80 seconds. The victory marked her eighth title since 2015.

“Fingers crossed, I’ll be able to keep it going for the rest of my career,” she said on Friday. “But it’s also exciting to see the potential of some of the athletes coming up.”

World Cup medalist, 2022 Olympian and reigning National Champion Ashley Farquharson of Park City, Utah was second in 11.98 seconds. Park City resident and National Team rookie Emma Erickson was third with a time of 12.20 seconds. Emily Sweeney of Lake Placid missed the event due to a long-planned trip out of town.

Britcher hopes the win will carry over into the upcoming season, especially since the International Luge Federation World Cup season is kicking off on her favorite track in Lillehammer, Norway, Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

“I love competing, and the last chance I had to compete was the last World Cup of the season,” she said. “I’m really excited for the upcoming season. I’m really excited for the whole team.”

The doubles event was won by Haugsjaa of Framingham, Massachusetts and Marcus Mueller of Brookfield, Wisconsin in 11.10 seconds.

“It was definitely a slow start to the summer,” Marcus Mueller said. “It was a lot of flat ice and a lot of repetition and it all came together for sure.”

The current Junior World Champions have been competing together, as well as singles racers for the past five years, but only in the past three years did they start focusing only on doubles.

Haugsjaa said winning on Saturday is definitely a boost of confidence going into the season.

“Now it’s about getting consistent,” he said. “Knowing that we can do this, it’s about improving on it.”

The duo edged out 2022 Olympians and Lake Placid World Cup winners Zack DiGregorio of Medway, Massachusetts and Sean Hollander of Lake Placid. DiGregorio and Hollander, who won last year’s event, placed second on Saturday in 11.16 seconds.

In last year’s competition, both teams logged identical times of 11.24. The tie was broken in favor of DiGregorio/Hollander by virtue of the fastest single heat.

Haugsjaa said winning this year’s event means a lot because of how close they were to winning it last season.

“We always feel like we’ve been working really hard for it, and I think it’s just a really good feeling when that actually comes together for you,” he said.

Dana Kellogg of Chesterfield, Massachusetts and Frank Ike of Lititz, Pennsylvania, silver medalists at the 2024 World Championship relay, took third in 11.34.

Three-time World Championship medalists Chevonne Forgan of Chelmsford, Massachusetts and Sophia Kirkby of Ray Brook were the lone female entrant in the race and crossed the finish line fourth in 11.75 seconds. Junior National Team athletes Barnes and Gavin Davis of Berwick, Pennsylvania placed fifth in 11.97 seconds.

The National Team is scheduled to hit the ice for the first time at training sessions in Norway and Latvia early next month.