West first American to win World Cup luge race in nearly 18 years

Tucker West wasn’t even fast enough to qualify for last weekend’s World Cup luge opener. A week later, he was atop the podium and making history for USA Luge. West won a World Cup luge race at Mount Van Hoevenberg outside Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, making him the first American man to prevail on the circuit in nearly 18 years. He won in dominant fashion, with only one slider finishing within a second of his time – a massive margin in luge. The 19-year-old from Danbury, Connecticut, finished two runs in 1 minute, 42.117 seconds. He broke the track record in each run. Austria’s Wolfgang Kindl was second, more than three-quarters of a second back. West is the first American to win a men’s World Cup race since Wendel Suckow at Japan in February 1997. – AP