2014 Olympics – Women’s Luge – Runs 1 & 2

From Sochi, Russia

Much like her countryman Felix Loch, German luger Natalie Geisenberger is looking to utterly dominate the 2014 Olympic Games.  Setting both a start record and track record in her first run, Geisenberger was the only slider to break the 50 second mark, doing it in both runs.

Geisenberger’s teammate, Tatjana Hüfner, is second, moving up one position ahead of Erin Hamlin of the United States on the strength of a start record (besting Geisenberger’s first run start).  Hamlin looks to be the first American to ever score a medal in singles luge.  Behind Hamlin, Russia’s Natalja Khoreva leads Canada’s Alex Gough and Kimberly McRae, who are in fifth and sixth.  While the separation from first to second is .766, the separation from Hüfner back to McRae isn’t even half of that.

Overall, it was a very solid day for North America in general.  Aside from Hamlin’s third place run, Kate Hansen sits tenth for the United States, while teammate Summer Britcher moved up to 15th after coming into Heat 2 in 19th place.  On the Canadian side, Gough and McRae are both within shouting distance of a medal, while Arianne Jones is 13th, less than a half-second out of a top ten.

The biggest jump from the first to second heat was Ekaterina Baturina of Russia.  A sloppy run after the first trip down ice left Baturina 21st, but a solid trip down home ice for the second run bumped her up to 12th, just outside of a top ten.

Results after day one: