WHISTLER, B.C. — Caitlin Nash and Natalie Corless knew they were going to make history on Saturday — and they refused to be intimidated by the prospect.
With the luge World Cup back in Whistler, B.C., for the first time in three years, the duo became the first Canadians to slide in the competition's new women's doubles discipline.
"Caitlin and I have been on the forefront of women's doubles and every day we’re developing with the sport, we're developing our abilities," Corless said. "Overall, I think we're gaining experience every day and it's been going quite well."
Nash and Corless, both 19 and from Whistler, have long been trailblazers for the sport, and raced against full-grown men in a doubles race in 2019. Now women's doubles has been added to the World Cup circuit this season and the Olympic roster for the 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
Getting into the sport on the ground floor is inspiring, Nash said.
"Women's doubles is a brand-new discipline and I think it has already inspired so many athletes to race women's doubles," she said. "It's brought a lot of attention to luge as well. I'm really hoping this will help develop the sport (over the next four years.)"
Nash and Corless finished in sixth Saturday with a combined two-run time of one minute, 18.526 seconds in their first race of the season.
"We were hoping for a podium finish today, but we laid down the two best runs we could and we come away very happy," Nash said.
Italy's Andrea Votter and Marion Oberhofer slid to gold with a time of 1:17.912.
Several track records fell on Saturday, and it was the Italians who posted the best single-run time (38.896 seconds).
"It was crazy," said Votter, a three-time Olympian. "I didn't know we could slide so good. I'm happy."
Selina Egle and Lara Kipp of Austria finished 0.041 seconds back of the Italians to take silver, and remain atop the overall World Cup standings in women's doubles. Germany's Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (1:17.968) won bronze in an eight-sled field that included athletes from six countries.
The Germans added a gold and a silver in men's doubles on Saturday.
Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken took first with a time of 1:16.554 and set a track record (38.249 seconds) on their second run.
Despite the final time, Eggert and Benecken, the overall winners on last year's World Cup circuit, struggled through one of the final turns on the tricky track.
"I think in the middle of the track, we were fast, maybe," Eggert said. "I'm super happy that in the end, it was enough."
Fellow Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt were 0.051 seconds behind and Austria's Juri Thomas Gatt and Riccardo Martin Schopf (1:16.740) came third in the race, which included 16 sleds from eight countries.
Gatt and Schopf are first in the overall World Cup rankings for men's doubles.
Calgary's Devin Wardrope and Cole Zajanski (1:16.763) took fourth place Saturday, marking their career-best finish.
"It's amazing. It says we're in a good spot," Wardrope said. "First World Cup of the year, I couldn't be happier with a result like that."
The performance is one the duo can build off of heading into the rest of the season — and over the next four years as they prepare for the 2026 Olympics, Zajanski said.
"I think our goal is to just put in two consistent runs in each race. That's all we can really ask for," he said. "And our sled development, will just develop over the next four years."
The final race of the day saw a German team of Julia Taubitz, Felix Loch, Eggert and Benecken take gold in the mixed relay with a time of 2:04.222.
Latvia finished 0.147 seconds behind for silver and Austria (2:04.949) came in third. Canada did not compete in the event.
The circuit continues next week in Park City, Utah.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2022.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
