Gustafson 11th as Austrians grab top four spots in men’s luge race

IGLS, Austria——Jonny Gustafson was the top finishing American in today’s men’s singles World Cup luge competition. Austria entered four sleds the race, held just outside of Innsbruck, the site of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games. At the end of the day, the Austrian sleds occupied the top four slots, displaying the importance of home ice advantage and the strength of the country’s program.  

A relay event was scheduled to take place, but a malfunction forced the cancellation of the event. 

Men’s Singles 

Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.), who placed fifth at last week’s event in Lillehammer, Norway, posted a two-run combined time of one minute 41.006 seconds. He battled stomach illness all week, right up to race day. Three-time Olympian Tucker West (Lake Placid, N.Y.) made a mistake in the upper section of the course during his second run. He placed 20^th with a time of 1:43.445. Two-time Junior World Championship medalist Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) placed 26^th in 50.798, while Junior National Team athlete Aidan Mueller (West Islip, N.Y.) was 30^th in 51.231. Since Greiner and Mueller sat outside the top 20 sleds following the first heat, they did not advance to take a second run.   

Two years ago, the Austrian team swept the top four places, a feat repeated today. The winner, Nico Gleirscher, clocked a time of 1:39.713.  Jonas Mueller was second in 1:39.808. A significant gap of nearly half a second separated silver from bronze, with Nico’s brother David finishing in 1:40.166. The top four sweep was completed by Wolfgang Kindl in 1:40.350.  

Team Relay 

The team relay event was delayed initially and ultimately cancelled. A statement from the International Luge Federation described, “unforeseen technical challenges.” At race time, the weather featured intermittent heavy snow.   

Overall World Cup Standings 

Max Langenhan of Germany retains his overall lead in the standings with 155 points. Nico Gleirscher is second with 146, and Kindl third with 145. Gustafson sits in ninth with 89 points, and West in 14^th with 53. Greiner sits in a three-way tie for 23^rd with 35 points, while Aidan Mueller holds 29^th with 24. 

World Cup action continues in Oberhof, Germany, on December 14-15, with the World Championships being held February 6-8, 2025, in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. To live stream the races and view archived competitions, please visit the FIL’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FILLuge_Channel. The entire World Cup and World Championship season can be accessed from this portal.