Summer Britcher wins gold in Park City, USA Luge's 50th World Cup victory

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PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Summer Britcher got a gold medal and gave USA Luge a historic moment.

Britcher delivered the 50th World Cup win in USA Luge’s history, winning a women’s singles race on the 2002 Olympic track on Saturday night.

It was Britcher’s sixth World Cup victory, extending her singles record for U.S. athletes. She's now fourth U.S. slider to win six golds on the circuit; doubles sliders Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin won 11, and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Erin Hamlin won six as well — four in singles, two in relays.

“I feel so good,” Britcher said. “It's been quite a while since I stood on top of the podium. I can't even describe.”

Her first win was at Park City, 10 years and two days ago. She won three times in that 2015-16 season and twice more in 2017-18 — and not since, until Saturday.

Britcher — who finished two runs in 1 minute, 26.961 seconds — had the overnight lead after Friday's start in the unique two-day, two-run format; typically, World Cup singles races are two runs in one day. That meant she was the last to slide on Saturday night, and she delivered. She crossed the finish line, skidded to a stop and hopped off her sled in celebration.

Italy's Verena Hofer was second, 0.105 seconds back, and Park City native Ashley Farquharson rallied from 10th at the midway point to third, 0.109 seconds back of Britcher.

“The only thing better than getting a podium is sharing the podium with a teammate,” Britcher said.

In the men's singles race — also the two-run, two-day format in a break from the norm — Austria’s Jonas Mueller held onto his overnight lead by posting the fastest run once again and easing to a win over Germany’s Max Langenhan.

Italy took third and fourth, with Leon Felderer grabbing bronze and Dominik Fischnaller finding speed at the end of his run to edge Jonny Gustafson of the U.S. out of the fourth-place spot.

Italy won the team relay, with Austria second and the U.S. — with Britcher getting her second medal of the night — placing third.

Johannes Lochner keeps finding ways to beat Francesco Friedrich.

The German stars were first and second again in a World Cup bobsled race on Saturday, with Lochner driving to the win in a four-man event at Lillehammer, Norway, and Friedrich losing some time in the second and final run to settle for the silver.

It was the ninth consecutive World Cup race, going back to last season and including two-man events, in which Lochner and Friedrich finished first and second in some order.

Lochner now has beaten Friedrich — generally considered the best driver ever, someone who swept the two- and four-man golds at each of the last two Olympics, as well as each of the last two world championships — in four of five World Cup races this season and seven out of the last eight going back to last season.

Adam Ammour drove to third in the four-man race, giving Germany a sweep of the medals in that event. Kris Horn drove to 15th place for the top American finish.

In the women's monobob race earlier Saturday, Bree Walker of Australia got her fourth career World Cup win — and her third in Lillehammer. She had the best time in both heats to hold off Katrin Beierl of Austria, who finished second for her first World Cup monobob medal, and Laura Nolte of Germany was third.

Kaillie Humphries Armbruster had the top U.S. finish, placing seventh.

Bobsled: World Cup weekend in Lillehammer continues Sunday.

Skeleton: World Cup sliding continues Dec. 19 in Sigulda, Latvia.

Luge: World Cup sliding continues Dec. 19 in Lake Placid, New York.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics