Tony Benshoof started luge in 1989 at the age of 13. The athlete from White Bear Lake in Minnesota ranks third among the most successful international luge athletes , winning 25 international medals, five of which are gold. In October 2001 he set a speed record in luge that was valid until the 2010 Olympic Games. On the toboggan run in Park City , he reached a speed of 139 km / h.
The highlights of Benshoof's career were his three Olympic competitions. At the 2002 Olympic Games in his US homeland in Salt Lake City , he only came in 17th place. His second appearance at the 2006 Turin Games went far better . Here he missed an Olympic medal in fourth. At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver , he reached 8th place.
At the World Championships in 2004 and 2005, he and the team won the silver medal behind the German team, and in 2003 the bronze medal. 2000, 2001 and 2004 Benshoof was North American continental champion, six times (2000-2002 and 2004-2006) American champion.
In the overall World Cup, he finished third in the 2005/06 season, fourth in 2003/04 and sixth in 2004/05. However, he has not yet won a World Cup race. However, he won two races of the 2003 Challenge Cup in Altenberg and Park City .
Web links
Tony Benshoof in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
United States
