Music: {allcanada} CANADA'S GOUGH RACES TO BRONZE IN WOMEN'S WORLD CUP LUGE RACE

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

{allcanada} CANADA'S GOUGH RACES TO BRONZE IN WOMEN'S WORLD CUP LUGE RACE

KOENIGSSEE, Germany -- Canada's Alex Gough opened the new year in a familiar spot -- on the World Cup medal podium.

The Calgarian was third in a women's luge World Cup race Wednesday, capturing her third bronze medal in her last four races.

"I went into the season hoping that a podium would come," Gough said. "Once it did, I experienced what it was like to be there and I also learned that I can be there. I know it is not going to happen every week, but things have changed in that it is the goal every week now."

Natalie Geisenberger raced to gold, ending German teammate Tatjana Huefner's four-race winning streak.

Geisenberger edged Huefner for her first victory of the season and her seventh career World Cup win with a two-run time of one minute 41.756 seconds. Huefner set a course record in the second run but still had to settle for second overall, 0.02 seconds behind Geisenberger.

The 23-year-old Gough, who captured her first World Cup medal on the same track in December, was 0.459 seconds behind the winner and the only non-German in the top five.

"I had really good training runs this week and felt good coming into the race," Gough said. "This track has a really flat start so the hard work I did on my starts this summer really paid off here today. It was great to get back on the podium."

Calgary's Arianna Jones, the only other Canadian in the field, finished 14th.

Gough has rewritten the Canadian luge history books the past few weeks, and Wednesday's bronze made her the first Canadian luger to win three World Cup medals. No other Canadian has won more than one. They were Marie-Claude Doyen (1984 in Sarajevo), Tyler Seitz (2002 in Calgary), and Regan Lauscher (2004 in Lake Placid).

"I obviously know people are talking about the history of these results, but I think being in it makes it hard to appreciate right now because I'm so immersed in the season," Gough said. "My confidence is good right now, but this sport is such a mental game within yourself. I want to keep having good results. It is great for our sport, but I can't get ahead of the process.

"Once I get home and process everything this spring, I think it may hit home."

Germany's Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won the men's doubles race Wednesday. Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber were second, while Austria's Andreas Linger and Wolfgang Linger took the bronze.

Calgary's Justin Snith and Tristan Walker, of Cochrane, Alta., were 17th.