Canadian luge athletes embraced the enthusiastic home crowd at the Luge World Championships in Whistler, B.C., on Thursday, finding a unique boost in their performance. While Dylan Morse and Trinity Ellis secured an 11th place finish in the mixed singles race, the team relished the support of family and friends lining the track, contrasting with the more unfamiliar atmosphere of European competitions. The inaugural mixed doubles world championship was also held, with Austria claiming the gold.
An enthusiastic home crowd cheered on Canadian luge athletes at the Luge World Championships in Whistler , B.C., on Thursday, providing a unique boost for the team accustomed to racing in front of unfamiliar faces overseas. Calgary's Dylan Morse and Trinity Ellis of Pemberton, B.C., finished 11th in the mixed singles race, a respectable showing despite being 0.
914 seconds behind the triumphant German duo of Max Langenhan and Julia Taubitz, who claimed the first-ever world championship gold in the event. The Canadians reveled in the support from their families and friends lining the track, a stark contrast to the more foreign competitions they often face in Europe. 'When we're in Europe, it kind of feels like we're the underdog,' Morse shared. 'We're like the foreigners racing in Europe. But here we have that home track advantage. We have all the people supporting us. It's really cool.' Ellis echoed the sentiment, adding, 'We can't necessarily see them all the time, but I've never heard so many cheers lining the entire track. And I was smiling while I was sliding. That doesn't happen very often, to actively be present in that. So it was incredible. It was really fun.'The inaugural mixed doubles world championship was also contested on Thursday, with Austria taking the gold. Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl, and Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp, clocked in with a time of 1:22.354. Germany secured the silver, with Hannes Orlamuender and Paul Constantin Gubitz, and Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina finishing just 0.018 seconds behind. Fellow Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, and Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal, claimed the bronze. Calgary's Devin Wardrope and Cole Anthony Zajanski, and Beattie Podulsky and Kailey Allan, finished eighth, trailing the Austrian gold medallists by 1.029 seconds. This year marks the first time mixed races are incorporated into the luge world championships, replacing sprints in a change welcomed by many athletes. US luge competitor Jonathan Eric Gustafson enthusiastically embraced the new format, stating, 'It's really exciting. I wasn't really a fan of the sprint race. This, to me, is a much more dynamic race. It's more exciting. This is the first year that I've had to do a reaction start in competition, so it's a really great opportunity to showcase that side of our sport.'Adding to the excitement, the mixed race format fosters a sense of camaraderie within an individual sport. 'It adds that sense of camaraderie in an individual sport, which is really cool,' Morse commented. 'We don't experience that much, but when we do, it's a lot of fun. 'It's basically a mini relay race, right? Relay is also one of the most fun,' he added. 'Even though you could have had a great run, it's still that intense feeling of having to watch your teammate come down and be like `You've got this! You've got this!' The world championships continue Friday with the men's and women's doubles, and the women's singles competitions before the men's singles and team relays take place on Saturday. These races will be crucial for Canada's young team as they prepare for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. 'A big part of this sport is experience. And we are lacking it, just in the amount of sliding time we've had. And that's why having worlds at home is so incredible,' said Canadian athlete Susko, who grew up sliding on the track in Whistler. 'Because I'd argue that the three of us — me, Caitlin and — have the most runs out of probably anyone in the world on this track. So it's really incredible to finally have that leg up in experience.
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