The United States doubles luge team of Sam Eckert, of Wilmington, and Sam Day race down the track in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Friday, Jan. 17 during the Youth Olympic Games. The duo finished finished eighth in the event. (Provided photo — Olympic Information Services)

ST. MORITZ, Swtzerland – The Youth Olympic Games events commenced Friday, Jan. 17 on the hand-crafted, iconic track in St. Moritz that is created from ice, snow and slush. The course, a five-hour train ride from Lausanne, begins on the edge of the village and ends in nearby Celerina. The youth athletes, however, are not using the entire length.

United States luger McKenna Mazlo was 15th in singles, while the doubles team of Sam Day and Sam Eckert took eighth.

Day, of Wantagh, and Eckert, of Wilmington, got off to a fifth-place start after the first leg, trailing the Russian leaders by 0.8 of a second down the long St. Moritz course. The U.S. entry reached a top speed of nearly 74 miles per hour. Their second run opened even faster, but the duo lost time as they approached Celerina and landed in eighth place in a combined time of 1:53.857. The medals went to Germany, Latvia and Russia in that order.

Mazlo, of Souderton, Pennsylvania, clocked 1 minute, 52.092 seconds in a race that saw Germany finish 1-2, with Russia third.

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Sam Day, left, and Sam Eckert, of Wilmington, pose for a photo at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. (Provided photo — Lisa Day)

MONOBOB

Maddy Cohen, of Keene Valley, finished 14th as the sole U.S. competitor in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games women’s monobob competition Sunday, Jan. 19 on the all-natural track in St. Moritz.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Cohen said. “I feel proud, not (many) teenagers bobsled or get to compete in the Youth Olympic Games. I’m pretty proud of myself for being here.”

Cohen started sliding in the Lake Placid junior bobsled program, and learned how to drive a monobob during a driving school last spring. Cohen is currently a senior at Lake Placid High School, and she hopes to continue sliding while in college.

Cohen started the Youth Olympic Games qualification races with two 17th-place finishes in Lillehammer, Norway. It was her first monobob competition, and she only had a few weeks of training in the discipline.

“It was my first time racing, and the nerves really got to me, which just comes with the territory” Cohen said.

Cohen missed the next races in Koenigssee, Germany, then came back strong in Lake Placid and Park City, Utah, by earning two silver and two bronze medals. She finished the series ranked third overall.

“I’m very happy with my season as it showed growth and improvement with my sport, and it led me to an overall third place standing,” Cohen said.

Cohen clocked identical push times of 6.62 seconds in Sunday’s competition for runs of 1:15.91 and 1:16.06. She finished 14th with a combined time of 2:31.97.

Georgeta Popescu from Romania was victorious with a two-run total of 2:26.84. Slovakia’s Viktoria Cernanska claimed the silver medal with an aggregate time of 2:27.35, and Germany’s Celine Harms earned bronze with a cumulative time of 2:27.36.

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BIATHLON

Van Ledger, of Lake Placid, competed in two biathlon events last weekend at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ledger was the top American male finisher in the 12-kilometer individual event Saturday, Jan. 11, finishing 59th with a time of 41 minutes, 3.5 seconds. Teammate Cale Woods, of Bozeman, Montana, shot two clean rounds and finished less than 11 seconds behind with a time of 41:24.3 for 64th place. Etienne Bordes, of Tahoe City, California, placed 76th with a time of 42:39.8.

Ledger joined Kaisa Bosek, of Alexandria, Minnesota, on Sunday, Jan. 12 in the single mixed relay. The pair shot cleanly over three rounds and finished 21st with a time of 48:30.2.