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Britcher, Fischnaller 1-2 for USA Luge at midway point of World Cup race in Park City

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — U.S. teammates Summer Britcher and Emily Fischnaller are in first and second place going into Saturday’s final heat of a World Cup women’s singles luge race, a rare two-day, two-run format for the circuit.

Britcher finished her run down the 2002 Olympic track in 43.291 seconds; Fischnaller finished in 43.295 seconds. Austria’s Dorothea Schwarz is third after one run, with a time of 43.324 seconds.

The women’s race will end Saturday, as will the men’s singles race — which is also using the two-day format. Typically, both heats of a World Cup race are held the same day. Jonas Müller of Austria (44.652) is the men’s leader at the midway point, followed in the top five by Germany’s Max Langenhan, Italian teammates Leon Felderer and Dominik Fischnaller, and Jonny Gustafson of the U.S.

In men’s doubles, USA Luge picked up a silver when Zack Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander saw their lead slip away in the final meters of the second run. Germany’s Toni Eggert and Florian Mueller rallied for the win, finishing two runs in 1 minute, 26.222 seconds. Di Gregorio and Hollander — the leaders after one run — finished in 1:26.273. Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier were third in 1:26.356.

Di Gregorio and Hollander said the medal is a great way to head into next weekend’s World Cup stop at Lake Placid, probably their best track.

“We had a great race two years ago in Lake Placid. We’re just going to take this momentum into that,” Hollander said.

In women’s doubles, Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magadalena Matschina got the win, with Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp second and the German sled of Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal placing third. Italy’s Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer were fourth, one spot better than the U.S. sled of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby.

Skeleton

At Lillehammer, Norway, reigning world champions Mystique Ro and Austin Florian of the U.S. finished second in a World Cup mixed skeleton race Friday, the first medal for the Americans in the headfirst sliding sport this season.

Britain won the race with Tabitha Stoecker and Marcus Wyatt finishing their runs in 1 minute, 49.33 seconds. Ro and Florian finished 0.56 seconds back, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Germany’s Jacqueline Pfeifer and Axel Jungk.

Britain also took gold in men’s skeleton, with Olympic favorite Matt Weston getting his second victory in two races this season. Jungk was second and Korea’s Seunggi Jung was third; both were within one-tenth of a second of Weston’s time of 1:42.58.

In women’s skeleton, reigning overall World Cup champion Janine Flock of Austria got her 14th career victory on the circuit, with Stoecker second and Belgium’s Kim Meylemans third.

Up next

Bobsled: The World Cup weekend in Lillehammer starts Saturday.

Skeleton: World Cup sliding continues Dec. 19 in Sigulda, Latvia.

Luge: Racing continues Saturday in Park City.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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