New Look Canadian Luge Team Sixth in World Cup Relay in Germany

ALTENBERG, Ger.— A newly-formed Canadian luge squad teamed up to finish sixth in the World Cup relay in Altenberg, Germany on Sunday.

Olympian Reid Watts (Whistler, B.C.) joined forces with youngsters Trinity Ellis (Pemberton, B.C.) and Calgary-based rookies, Cole Zajanski and Devin Wardrope to clock a sixth-place time of 2:26.229.

“This was an opportunity for us to slide in our first team relay,” said 19-year-old Devin Wardrope. “We came out of the doubles race with a less than ideal performance but getting to get back at it for one more run with our teammates was a fun way to finish off the weekend of racing.”

The young doubles team made their World Cup debut two years ago in Altenberg where they finished 13th. They have been regulars in the top-15 in their first full season on the elite luge circuit this year.  On Sunday they took on the anchor run of the relay which consists of one women’s, one men’s and one doubles sled. Athletes hit a paddle at the finish line that allows the next member of the team to begin their run at the top of the track.

“This is a great experience for us going into the rest of the World Cup season, and hopefully we’ll get a few more chances to race the relay,” added Wardrope.

The Canadians finished just over two seconds off the leading pace set by the Germans who won with a time of 2:23.954. The Italians slid to the silver medal at 2:24.279, while Russia claimed the bronze at 2:24.447.

Earlier in the day, Reid Watts slid to 20th in the men’s singles race with a time of 1:49.196.

Austria’s Wolfgang Kindl won with a time of 1:47.997.

Complete Altenberg Relay Results:

Complete Altenberg Men’s Singles Results:

The Canadian Luge Association is a not-for-profit organization responsible for governing the sport of luge across the country. With the financial backing of from the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium, the Canadian Luge Association safely recruits and develops the nation’s current and future high-performance luge athletes with the goal of regularly climbing onto the international podium. For more information on the Canadian Luge Association, please visit us at www.luge.ca on the Internet.