Summer Britcher delivered a statement win at the Eberspacher Luge World Cup in Sigulda, Latvia, earning her seventh career World Cup win, topping the women’s singles field with a combined time of 1 minute 23.84 seconds. Britcher backed up a solid opening run with the fastest second run of the competition, clocking 41.902 seconds, and moved from contention to the top step of the podium on the notoriously technical Latvian track.

Britcher acknowledged the significance of the victory on a track that historically has challenged her. “Sigulda really wasn't one of my favorite tracks, I had so many ups and downs,” she said. “But I had so much fun this week, the track was really great.” The win marked her seventh career World Cup victory and moved her into the overall World Cup lead with 270 points, despite skipping the season opener in Winterberg.

Behind her, Austria’s Lisa Schulte finished 2nd, just 0.037 seconds back, after two consistent runs that kept her firmly in the medal fight. Germany’s Julia Taubitz, the reigning world champion, settled for 3rd at 0.091 behind Britcher after leading earlier over the weekend. Taubitz said she was weakened overnight by the flu, adding, “I lacked the strength,” after dropping from 1st to 3rd across the two-run format. 

The United States placed two athletes inside the top five, with Ashley Farquharson finishing 5th at 0.291 back after staying within striking distance through both runs. Further down the order, Germany’s 2022 Olympic silver medalist Anna Berreiter finished 8th, while a deep field navigated cold conditions and a demanding track.

The United States placed two teams inside the top 6 in the women’s doubles luge World Cup in Sigulda, led by Chevonne Chelsea Forgan and Sophia Kirkby, who finished 5th at 1:25.640 on the technically demanding Latvian track. Fellow Americans Maya Chan and Sophia Gordon followed closely in 6th, just 0.858 seconds off the win, as the U.S. continued to show depth in the doubles field.

Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp took the victory, edging Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina by 0.031 seconds, while Italy’s Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer rounded out the podium in 3rd.