Team Canada won the bronze medal on Saturday in the mixed team relay event at the 2025 World Luge Championships in Whistler, British Columbia. The Canadian team comprised of Embyr-Lee Susko of Whistler, British Columbia (women’s singles), Devin Wardrope and Cole Zajanski of Calgary, Alberta (men’s doubles), Theo Downey of Calgary (men’s singles) and Beattie Podulsky and Kailey Allan of Calgary (women’s doubles).
The fact that Canada won a medal in mixed team relay luge was stunning and by far the biggest story at the World Luge Championships. Nothing was expected from this developing Canadian squad, but they reached the podium after massive errors by the United States, Italy and Latvia.
Germany won the gold medal with a time of 2:50.361. Austria won the silver medal with a time of 2:50.492. Canada’s third place time was 2:51.641. Canada reached the podium by 0.313 seconds over the United States, which had a fourth place time of 2:51.954.
This was the fifth time Canada has hosted the World Luge Championships, and the third time Canada won a medal on home ice. At the 2013 World Luge Championships in Whistler, Alex Gough of Calgary won the bronze medal in women’s singles and teamed up with Calgary’s Samuel Edney, Justin Snith and Tristan Walker to win silver in the mixed team relay event. At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Gough also won bronze, and teamed up with Edney, Snith and Walker to win silver in the mixed team relay event. The world championship bronze for Susko, Wardrope, Zajanski, Downey, Podulski and Allan will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
