Emily Sweeney, Brittney Arndt notch podium finishes for Team USA at luge World Cup
PARK CITY, UT — Team USA’s Emily Sweeney notched her third luge podium of the season, while Brittney Arndt earned the first-ever World Cup podium of her career Saturday at the FIL World Cup at Utah Olympic Park.
The 29-year-old Sweeney, a two-time Olympian from Suffield, Connecticut, posted a combined two-run time of 1:26.611 to finish second in the singles luge, 0.140 behind winner Dajana Eitberger (1:26.471) of Germany. Fellow German Julia Taubitz was third with a time of 1:26.619.
“I just let myself do what I gotta to do,” said Sweeney, who also finished second twice at the season opener in Innsbruck, Austria, in the singles and sprint races. “I was actually a little nervous because I only took three training runs this week, and I was a little like, not completely set about one curve. But I just let myself, let my body do it. I know what to do at this point.”
The U.S. had four women in the top 12 of the women’s two-heat race, with Arndt – who calls Park City home – finishing seventh on her home track. Fellow Park City native and 2022 Olympian Ashley Farquharson finished ninth for her second top 10 this season, and three-time Olympian Summer Britcher was 12th.
“I had two clean runs and walked away with a silver, so I’m happy,” added Sweeney, who finished fourth with partner Sweeney in the doubles sprint and 10th in the singles sprint, also on Saturday. “I wish I could have followed it up in the sprint again, but I’m so stoked for Brittney, that she got up on there. It’s exciting to see her first podium.”
For the 24-year-old Arndt, her third-place finish in the singles sprint marked a career-best in World Cup competition. Her time of 31.902 seconds was just 0.185 behind winner Taubitz (31.717), with Eitberger (31.816) taking second. Farquharson (+0.233) placed fourth, and Britcher (+0.283) finished seventh.
“I’m just stoked,” said Arndt, who was a two-time junior national champion. “I am at home. My all my family is here. I’m just so happy. I’ve been close to the podium — in Lake Placid (fifth and sixth place in 2018) — before but I was young, and it’s been a couple of hard years for me. I made a lot of changes this year for myself, and this backs all of that.”
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Among those changes were a move from upstate New York back to Park City and a shift in mindset that allowed her to find the fun again in the journey.
“I took some time away from the sport after not making the Olympic team (for 2022), and I just focused on things that would make me happy,” she explained. “I just spent a lot of time outside and doing other stuff, and then started training a little bit later. I don’t know — I’m just a lot happier, so I think that’s helped me a lot.”
“I try to be pretty laid back with things and I have my goals in my head,” added Arndt, who first tried luge through an afterschool program while in the sixth grade. “And I’m kind of superstitious, so I’m never like, ‘I want this finish’ or ‘I want that.’ At the end of the day, I just want to be happy with this, because I’m in the sport because I love it. So if I’m miserable and I’m not having fun, then why am I here?”
In the women’s doubles sprint, Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (32.195) captured their second sprint title of the season and third overall, with Italy’s Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer (+0.127) finishing second, and Germany’s Jessica Reinhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (+0.275) placing third. The U.S. fielded three teams in the doubles sprint, with Britcher and Sweeney (+0.311) fourth, Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler (+0.322) fifth, and Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (+0.566) seventh.
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Emily Sweeney, Brittney Arndt notch podium finishes for Team USA at luge World Cup originally appeared on NBCSports.com
