Canadians Albrecht and Pothier Slide to Best Result of Season in Salt Lake City
-United States men's doubles retur
The Canadian contingent, led by veterans Grant Albrecht of Red Deer, Alta. and Eric Pothier of Airdrie, Alta., finished with a two-run time of 1:28.785, good enough for 8th place in a very tight race. The only other Canadian entry in the field featured 18-year-old Calgarian Marshall Savill, and 17-year-old Winston Davis of Calgary, who finished 14th after qualifying for their second straight World Cup event.
"We made a very small mistake on our second run that cost us dearly in the standings," said Albrecht, who has been making adjustments to the team's sled to improve overall times. "The international field has improved so much since last year, that you have to put together a top-five start, and a near-perfect run to make it to the podium."
The American duo of Mark Grimette and Brian Martin returned to the World Cup circuit from injury by winning on home ice. The duo captured the gold in a time of 1:28.055. Two teams from Germany were close on their heels. Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch were second (1:28.253), while teammates André Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich leave Salt Lake City with the bronze (1:28.314).
The Viessmann Luge World Cup continues on Saturday in the Olympic city with the men's and women's singles events. The Canadian team is anxious to get out of the start house as Calgarians Jeff Christie, Ian Cockerline, Matt McMurray and Sam Edney will be blazing down the track in Canadian colours. Cockerline finished second in Thursday's qualification run.
Four Canadian women have also qualified to suit up on Saturday including: Regan Lauscher of Red Deer, Alta., Meaghan Simister of Regina, and two other young Calgarians, Monica Gorham and Madison Dupuis.
MEN'S DOUBLES RESULTS:
| Rank | Country | Name | Time |
| 1 | USA | Grimette/Martin | 1:28.055 |
| 2 | Germany | Leitner/Resch | 1:28.253 |
| 3 | Germany | Florschütz/Wustlich | 1:28.314 |
| 4 | Italy | Oberstloz/Gruber | 1:28.511 |
| 5 | Italy | Plankensteiner/Haselrieder | 1:28.594 |
| 6 | USA | Niccum Wohlleb | 1:28.709 |
| 7 | Austria | Schiegl/Schiegl | 1:28.762 |
| 8 | Canada | Albrecht/Pothier | 1:28.785 |
| 9 | Austria | Linger/Linger | 1:28.858 |
| 10 | Germany | Schmidt/Forker | 1:28.937 |
| 14 | Canada | Savill/Davis | 1:30.346 |
The Canadian Luge Associaton is the governing body for luge racing in Canada. In partnership with CODA, the Canadian Luge Association operates the Olympic Luge Training Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, which develops our nation's high-performance luge athletes and promotes the sport across the country. For more information on the Canadian Luge Association, please visit us at www.luge.ca on the Internet.