Canadian Luge Teen Embyr-Lee Susko Slides to Silver at Junior World Championships

LILLEHAMMER, Nor.—Embyr-Lee Susko capped off a dream season by winning a silver medal at the Junior Luge World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway on Friday.

Enjoying a strong rookie campaign on the World Cup circuit, the 18-year-old mixed together two consistent starts with steady runs to clock a combined time of 1:34.907.

“This is so incredible and a bit of a surprise,” beamed the Whistler, B.C., resident, who finished second overall in junior singles sliding this year.

The triumph is no shock to the luge community.

Susko introduced herself to the international luge community earlier this year by winning three straight Junior World Cup races with the final one coming on the 2010 Olympic Track she grew up on. She carried that momentum into her elite World Cup debut in Whistler where she finished ninth.

“This season has meant a lot to me with finding success on the Junior World Cup circuit, and starting to make appearances on the senior circuit. It has been non-stop fun and learning,” added Susko, who also won three silvers in junior women’s doubles racing, along with a silver and a bronze in the team competition.

“To top all of this off with a silver at Junior Worlds is just so fun. It definitely gives me some confidence moving into the final race of the season.”

Germany’s Antonia Pietschmann threw down top times in both heats to take the gold medal with a time of 1:34.678 in women’s singles. Anka Jaenicke, also of Germany, placed third at 1:35.163.

Caitlin Nash, of Whistler, B.C., had top-two start times in both heats down the 13-corner track to finish seventh at 1:35.328.  Calgary’s Kailey Allan snagged the final spot in the top-10 at 1:35.431, while Midori Holland (Whistler, B.C.) was 11th at 1:35.958.

Complete Junior World Championship Results:

https://www.fil-luge.org/cdn/uploads/160224-09-30-women-results-run-2-1.pdf

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.