Matt McMurray Slides for Canada's Second Silver Medal of World Junior Luge Championships
-Strong results in German
McMurray, 19, from Calgary, led a strong team in the men's singles event, which saw all four Canadians make the top-15. He finished his two runs in second place, in a time of 1:34.575.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic with my result today, I love sliding this track and to win a silver medal in front of my friends and family makes it even better," said McMurray, who was forced to spend the last month training at home, due to a hamstring injury he suffered before Christmas. "After I was fourth on my first run, I knew I could be consistent on my second run and move up the standings."
Calgary's Sam Edney, who won the silver medal in yesterday's men's doubles race, posted the two fastest starts of the day, but narrowly missed the podium, ending up in fourth place with a time of 1:34.597. Ian Cockerline, of Calgary, climbed up the standings with a strong second run and finished in 1:34.705, good enough for sixth place. The last Canadian to slide was Matt Babinec, who in his first Junior World Championship, claimed the 14th spot (1:35.605).
First place went to Germany's Andi Graitl in a time of 1:34.095. Austria's Daniel Pfister was the other luge athlete to make the podium, and won the bronze medal in a time of 1:34.588.
In the team event, Canada was disqualified after the race because of an equipment problem. The gold medal in the team event went to Germany, the silver medal to Austria, and the United States took bronze.
"Considering the limited training and conditions we had this week, I think it was a very successful weekend for our young luge team," said Walter Corey, head coach of the national team. "We had athletes put in some strong performances, and along with our senior team that did well in Europe, we have some good momentum heading into the World Championships in Japan."
Canada's senior-aged athletes were also in action today in at the Viessmann Luge World Cup in Konigssee, Germany. Regan Lauscher, of Red Deer, Alta., was the lone Canadian in the women's singles event, and finished in 15th place in a time of 1:37.868. In men's doubles, the veteran team of Grant Albrecht, of Red Deer, Alta., and Eric Pothier, of Airdrie, Alta., finished 10th, with a two-run time of 1:37.356.
The final event of the 2003-04 season, the World Luge Championships, will take place in Nagano, Japan, February 14-15, 2004. Seven athletes will represent Canada in the men's singles, men's doubles and women's singles events.
MEN'S SINGLES RESULTS:
| Rank | Country | Name | Time |
| 1 | Germany | Andi Graitl | 1:34.095 |
| 2 | Canada | Matt McMurray | 1:34.575 |
| 3 | Austria | Daniel Pfister | 1:34.588 |
| 4 | Canada | Sam Edney | 1:34.597 |
| 5 | Austria | Peter Penz | 1:34.640 |
| 6 | Canada | Ian Cockerline | 1:34.705 |
| 7 | Italy | David Mair | 1:35.090 |
| 8 | USA | Logan Gastio | 1:35.216 |
| 9 | Germany | Robert Eschrich | 1:35.329 |
| 10 | Austria | Manuel Pfister | 1:35.447 |
| 14 | Canada | Matt Babinec | 1:35.605 |
TEAM COMPETITION RESULTS:
| Rank | Country | Time |
| 1 | Germany | 2:17.906 |
| 2 | Austria | 2:18.613 |
| 3 | USA | 2:18.630 |
| 4 | Latvia | 2:19.143 |
| 5 | Czec Republic | 2:19.172 |
| 6 | Italy | 2:19.987 |
| 7 | Russia | 2:20.071 |
| 8 | Slovakia | 2:20.416 |
| 9 | Norway | 2:27.677 |
| DSQ | Canada | N/A |
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.