Sports

Baltimore Native Completes First Luge Run at Sochi Olympics

Spoiler Alert: Summer Britcher, born in Baltimore, has complete her first luge run at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Don't read the story if you don't want to know how she finished.

American women placed second, 10th and 25th in the first of four luge runs at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on Feb. 10, according to the Olympics website.

How did Baltimore native Summer Britcher, 19, fare in her first outing on the Olympic course? Spoiler Alert: Stop reading now if you don’t want to know until NBC’s evening broadcast.

After the first of four runs on Monday, Britcher was in 25th place. Teammate Kate Hansen was in seventh place and Erin Hamlin was in the 11th spot.

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The second run starts at 8:20 p.m. Sochi time on Monday.

"It's a dream come true. I was one of those little kids that wanted to go to the Olympics and, like I said, I can't believe it sometimes; that it's actually happening," Britcher told WBAL TV station in December before heading to Russia.

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The Baltimore Fire Department on gave Britcher a send-off fit for an Olympian. Her father, grandfather and uncles are all Baltimore firefighters. Her mother, Carrie Britcher, is a pharmacist.

Britcher told the York Daily Record that both parents supported her passion for luge, which meant leaving high school to compete on the U.S. junior national team around the world.

"My dad's role in it has always been to go with the approach that I should do it, but only if I enjoy it,” she told the newspaper. “You hear a lot of parents who force their children into sports, but my dad was not like that, we just could never quit something. We couldn't quit halfway through. He really taught me at that time to be dedicated.

"My mom, more so, drove my competitive side. She had always been a big fan of the sport because it is an exciting thing. She always enjoyed cheering me on. She's very enthusiastic."


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