Luge

American Erin Hamlin used her home track advantage on Friday, sliding to a a track-record finish at the luge World Championships.

The American win with a time of 1:28.098 was not only Hamlin's first in a six-year career, it also ended Germany's run of dominance in women's luge. The European power had not lost in 99 races, a streak dating to 1997. 

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger finished second in Lake Placid.

"Being at home helps a lot,'' said a smiling Hamlin, who set a track record of 43.985 seconds on her second run. "I've trained here so many times, so in my mind I can keep it like a day of training.

"It feels good to finally beat them (the German women). At the same time, it will take a lot to stay up here, that's for sure. But who knows, anything can happen in luge.''

Canadian luger Alex Gough took fourth place at the event.

At 21-years-old, the Canadian team's youngest slider was in fifth place going into the second and final run of the competition.

Gough's second run was even faster than her first, and a one minute, 28.615-second slide took the Calgary native into third place with just one slider left to go: American Erin Hamlin, the leader of the first run.

The world championship finish was another notch in the belt of Gough, who currently sits in 10th place overall in World Cup standings. In her first race of the season, the young slider earned her first World Cup medal with a second-place finish in Igls, Austria.

Canadians Regan Lauscher and Meaghan Simister finished 15th and 18th, respectively.

In the doubles event,  Italians Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder took the World title in one minute, 27.401 seconds. Calgary brothers Chris and Mike Moffat finished 10th.