LILLEHAMMER, Norway — U.S. Junior Luge athletes posted notable results on Friday, Feb. 13, during the Junior World Cup races hosted at the Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway. American sliders gained valuable international experience while posting competitive times across men’s singles, women’s singles and doubles disciplines. The highlight of the competition was the United States bronze medal in the team event.

Ellie Kleinheinz of Santa Clara, California, Logan Barnes of Clarksville, Tennessee and the doubles team of Nate Bivins of Castleton and Wolfgang Lux of Swanton, Vermont, combined to a third-place time of two minutes, 37.561 seconds in a race won by Germany. Austria was second.

Junior Men’s Singles saw solid performances from the U.S. contingent. Barnes finished ninth with a two-run time of 1:39.485, while Seth Coates of Potsdam was 14th in 1:40.090. Barnes and Coates showcased steady performances on the challenging Lillehammer ice as they continue to develop on the international circuit.

Topping the podium in men’s singles was Ola Brandstadmoen of Norway, who took first with a time of 1:37.989. Marco Leger of Germany finished second in 1:38.040 and Hannes Roeder of Germany claimed third with a time of 1:38.422.

Junior Women’s Singles featured three strong U.S. entries. Kleinheinz placed 15th in 1:36.999, Brianna Gosnell of Evansburg, Pennsylvania, was 17th in 1:37.284 and Maggie Richardson of Mount Vernon, Ohio, finished 18th in 1:37.315. All three athletes gained crucial World Cup points and valuable racing experience among a deep international field.

Germany’s Anka Jaenicke earned the gold medal in the women’s event with a commanding time of 1:34.129. Alexandra Oberstolz of Italy took silver in 1:34.699 and Laura Koch of Germany rounded out the podium in 1:34.896.

In Junior Men’s Doubles, the U.S. crews posted competitive results. Bivins and Lux finished sixth in 1:45.994, while Gabe Desautels of Georgia, Vermont and Gavin Davis of Berwick, Pennsylvania, were ninth in 1:48.427.

The men’s doubles podium was topped by Silas Sartor and Liron Raimer of Germany, who won gold. Edvards Marts and Roberts Lazdans of Latvia took silver and Louis Gruenbeck and Maximillian Kuehert of Germany claimed bronze.

In Junior Women’s Doubles, the U.S. pair of Sadie Martin of Vermontville and Gosnell did not finish in the competition. The event was won by Oberstolz and Katharina Kofler of Italy in 1:45.699. Lilly Bierast and Leandra Claus of Germany took the silver medal in 1:46.300 and Lina Angelika Riedl and Anna Lerch of Austria earned bronze in 1:46.343.

Junior World Cup action continues later this season, and the Norton Youth and Junior National Championships will take place in Lake Placid on March 7 and 14, respectively.