GERMANY GOES 1-2, EXTENDS STREAK WITH GEISENBERGER GOLD
LUGE WOMEN'S SINGLES MEDALISTS AT THE 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS:
GOLD: Natalie Geisenberger (GER), 3:53.454
SILVER: Anna Berreiter (GER), 3:53.947
BRONZE: Tatyana Ivanova (ROC), 3:54.507
WATCH THE FULL WOMEN'S SINGLES EVENT REPLAYS:
After all of Monday's chaos, Natalie Geisenberger made it look so easy. In Tuesday's first run, she immediately broke a track record with a time of 58.226 seconds. She followed that up with a solid fourth heat for a 3:53.454 total, and a gold medal.
It's Geisenberger's third consecutive singles win at the Olympics, and her fifth gold medal overall. The victory extends Germany's record to seven straight women's singles golds, currently the longest active streak in the Winter Olympics. Germany earned gold in men's singles this past weekend thanks to Johannes Ludwig.
Geisenberger, who in addition is the two-time defending team relay gold medalist, only further cemented her status as the world's greatest female luger. Though she threw down four fast, consistent runs, the German had luck on her side: Victory would have been far less assured had frontrunner Julia Taubitz not sputtered out of the top-ten on Monday.
By the fourth heat, just Geisenberger's compatriot Anna Berreiter provided a hint of concern. But the only real path to victory for Berreiter involved Geisenberger pinballing from wall to wall, or outright crashing.
That didn't happen. The course, known as "The Flying Snow Dragon," didn't cause the field nearly as much trouble on Tuesday. Still, several athletes took hard hits, and Romania's Raluca Stramaturaru spilled into a do not finish.
THE AMERICANS IMPROVE
Team USA's Emily Sweeney still hasn't completed four total runs at a single Games, but at least she finished the 2022 Winter Olympics safe, sound -- and smiling. She closed with her fastest heat of the competition and ultimately ranked 26th, improving upon her midway standing by two spots.
Likewise, Summer Britcher scraped 0.004 seconds off her previous best heat of the Games and ended up finishing 23rd.
Only 22-year-old Olympic rookie Ashley Farquharson cracked the top 20 and advanced to a fourth run. She also ended with her fastest of four heats, finishing 12th.
The Utah native was the third American to end the competition with a smile, as well as a comment to the camera as she walked away: "Only took me four runs to get there!"
Early reports claim Farquharson has been tapped for the team relay competition this Thursday. Whatever happens, there's a solid chance she'll appear at Milano Cortina 2026.