LUGE: Benshoof sixth in World Cup Opener

CALGARY, Canada – The first men’s World Cup of the 2009-10 luge season, held on Saturday, November 21, saw American Tony Benshoof move one step closer to becoming a member of the 2010 Olympic team as he battled a re-herniated disk in his back to finish sixth. 

Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.), who finished sixth with a two-heat combined time of 1:30.491, needs just one more top-eleven finish to meet the USA Luge basic Olympic team selection criteria. He underwent a discectomy in December of 2008 to relieve pressure on the nerve root in the L5-S1 disk, but an MRI following sharp pains during Thursday ‘s training reveled the disk had been re-herniated. 

“On Wednesday afternoon after the last training run, I reached down to pick up my sled, felt a very sharp pain and realized something was wrong,” said the 2006 Olympic 4th-place finisher. “I didn’t have any pain while sliding tonight but was a bit more conservative on the start than normal. All things considered, I’m happy with my performance and feel like I slid very well.” To hear a conversation with Tony regarding his back, visit www.usaluge.org/team/TonyPostCalgary.mp3 

Three-time Olympian for Sweden and new U.S. citizen Bengt Walden (Westborough, Mass. and Lake Placid, N.Y.) continued his bid to become an Olympian for the United States with a tenth place finish. Walden, who completed the race in 1:30.625, also needs one more top-eleven finish to meet the basic qualification standards for the 2010 squad. Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) finished in 32nd place with a time of 1:32.202.

Armin Zöggeler, last year’s World Championship silver medalist and overall champion, bounced back to win despite being ranked third after the first heat. His time of 1:30.068 edged out that of Germany’s David Möller, who finished in 1:30.134, claiming the silver. Russia’s Albert Demtschenko took the bronze in 1:30.166.

Erin Hamlin (Remsen, N.Y) earned a seventh place finish in the women’s World Cup race, clocking a 1:34.716. Julia Clukey finished in 1:35.092, taking 11th place, while 17-year-old Kate Hansen placed 16th in her first-ever World Cup with a time of 1:35.421.Like Benshoof and Walden, Hamlin also took the first step towards an Olympic team berth by finishing in the top-nine. Learn more about the Olympic team qualification process at http://www.usaluge.org/team/WOG%202010%20FlowChart1%200.pdf 

Germans swept the women’s podium, with Tatjana Hüfner posting the fastest time in both heats to claim the gold with a time of 1:33.691. Natalie Geisenberger followed with her time of 1:33.858 for silver and Anke Wischnewski completed the podium with a combined time of 1:34.493.


Race action, which can be seen at www.universalsports.com, resumes on November 28 from Igls, Austria. 

For more information on the Fastest Sport on Ice®, log on to www.usaluge.org
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Tags: Bengt Walden, Erin Hamlin, Kate Hansen, Tony Benshoof, USA Luge, World Cup