LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Due to worsening weather conditions on Friday, the schedule for the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup was modified to maintain fair competition. Consequently, the men's and women's doubles races were postponed to Saturday, with only the women's singles race occurring on Friday. Ashley Farquharson, representing the United States, clinched the silver medal with a time of 1 minute 28.956 seconds. This achievement marks her second consecutive podium finish following her gold medal performance in Park City the previous weekend. Three-time Olympian Summer Britcher initially placed sixth after the first run but managed to secure the bronze medal with a final run time of 1:29.054. Emily Fischnaller led after the first run but slipped to fourth place due to errors in curves eight and eleven, finishing with a time of 1:29.071. Meanwhile, Emma Erickson from Park City secured 16th place, matching her best-ever result with a time of 1:30.216. The gold medal was awarded to Germany’s Julia Taubitz, who finished with a time of 1:28.824. Additionally, this race functioned as the American-Pacific Championships, where Farquharson claimed the gold, Britcher took silver, and Fischnaller earned bronze. Erickson placed fifth in this event. In the overall World Cup standings, Germany’s Merle Fraebel and Austria’s Hannah Prock are tied for first place with 185 points, followed by Dorothea Schwarz of Austria in third with 176 points. The U.S. team did not participate in the first World Cup event of the season since it was not an Olympic qualifier. After two races, Britcher is positioned fifth among U.S. women with 170 points, Farquharson is sixth with 155 points, Fischnaller is 14th with 90 points, and Erickson is 26th with 44 points. The EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Lake Placid serves as the third of five qualification races for the Olympics. Nations earn Olympic spots based on performance in the Cortina test event and four pre-Olympic World Cup competitions. Team USA athletes can earn nominations to the 2026 Olympic Team based on results in these events, requiring either an “A tier” result or two “B tier” results. As of now, Farquharson has accumulated three “A tiers,” while Britcher has two, and Fischnaller has one. On approximately January 12, 2026, USA Luge will announce its nominees for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Racing will continue on Saturday with various events scheduled.