The most decorated athletes to ever race for USA Luge have taken their last ride together, as Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin announced their retirement from the sport after 16 years as a team. The duo raced to a silver medal at the Norton U.S. National Championships on March 14 prior to their announcement.

Grimmette, from Muskegon, Mich., and Martin from Palo Alto, Calif., began their racing career after both needed new teammates in the mid 90’s. Grimmette, who raced to a fourth-place finish with Jonathan Edwards at the 1994 Olympics, teamed up with Martin in 1995, who had previously been racing with Dan Warren.

The duo was unfunded for their first National Team road trip, but that quickly changed when they won a bronze medal at their debut event, the 1996 Lillehammer World Cup. After becoming members of the U.S. National Team, Grimmette and Martin went on the win the 1997-98 overall World Cup title, a feat they repeated in the 1998-99 and 2002-03 seasons. In addition to their World Cup titles, the tandem won six World Championship bronze medals, including their most recent at the 2009 World Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y.

During the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Grimmette and Martin won the bronze medal, while Chris Thorpe and Gordy Sheer took silver, marking the first-ever Olympic medals for USA Luge. During the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Grimmette and Martin added a silver medal to their collection.

Mark and Brian’s total of 65 international medals remains a record for USA Luge.
"I had the realization that this was it - the last run," said Martin of his thought process prior to the second and final heat of today’s National Championship event. "But I was still very focused on getting down the hill as fast as possible."

"Brian and I have had a long and wonderful career," added Grimmette, a 25 year veteran of the sport. "It’s been a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the future."
Both athletes indicated a desire to stay close to the sport, but were not yet sure in what capacity.

Away from the ice, Grimmette, 39, is a member of the USA Luge Executive Board, while Martin, who has been on the board in the past, currently serves the International Luge Federation as a member of its technical commission.

"On Friday, Mark and Brian came to see me in my office and told me this would be the last official race of their career, said Ron Rossi, USA Luge CEO. "It has been an honor to have them on our team for the last 14 years and I would like to thank them for their hard work, fond memories and outstanding results."

USA Luge wishes to thank and congratulate Mark and Brian for their amazing and historic career.