Canadian Junior Luge Championship Results
Athletes in the Canadian Junior Luge program competed for top Canadian honours today in the Canadian Junior Luge Championships at Canada Olympic Park.Jeff Christie, age 17, won Gold in the Junior Men II category (under age 20) with a two-run combined time of one minute and 36.258 seconds. Christie was overall winner in last season's Junior I World Cup competition and has been sliding for Canada at the Senior level this season in Europe. "The ice was great today and after some disappointing finishes in Europe competing at the senior level, being on the podium today is a great confidence booster for when I head back to Germany next week," reported Christie. Teammate Mike Moffat was a close second with a time of 1:36.657 followed by last year's Canadian Junior II champion, Jorgen Krause at 1:37.079.
Doubles sliders Grant Albrecht and Mike Moffat made it two years in a row as Canada's top Junior doubles team and also set a new Canadian track record time of 45.548 seconds, breaking their previous single run record of 45.550 seconds. Albrecht and Moffat are also sliding at the senior level in international competition, working towards qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Also on the podium in Junior Mens Doubles were National Sports School Grade 10 classmates, Marshall Savill and Winston Davis, winning Silver.
In Women's Junior I (under age 17) competition, Lindsay Danforth slid to a Gold medal finish with a time of 1:34.129. Danforth has won her category eight consecutive years at the Canadian Junior Championships and will be joining the Junior National Team for their post-Christmas World Cup European tour. The Silver medal went to Jessie Lalonde (1:34.786) followed by Amanda Byrne's third place time of 1:34.949. In Junior I Mens competition, Winston Davis and Mike Jepson went head to head with Davis winning by six tenths of a second.
Canada's future luge stars also got a taste of national level racing in the Youth category (under age 14). Winners in Youth competition were Matthew Babinec (Boys II) and Vanessa Vlahov (Girls II).
For more information or if transmission difficulties contact:
Tim Farstad, CLA-OLTC, 403-247-9884 tfarstad@coda.ab.ca
Web site: www.luge.ca