Weather affects World Cup bobsled, luge races in Austria and Germany

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Nico Gleirscher of Austria celebrates winning the men’s sprint race at the Luge World Cup in Igls near Innsbruck, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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People enjoy the freshly fallen snow in Igls near Innsbruck, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

ALTENBERG, Germany (AP) — Germany swept the podium spots in the first women’s bobsled World Cup race of the season Sunday, with the team of Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi getting the victory.

Lisa Buckwitz and Neele Schuten took second in Altenberg, and Kim Kalicki and Lauren Siebert finished third for Germany.

The top U.S. sled was driven by Kaillie Humphries and pushed by Jasmine Jones. They placed fifth.

In the four-man event, which was shortened to one heat because of weather, Germany’s Francesco Friedrich drove to the win. There was a tie for second between the sleds driven by Austria’s Markus Treichl and Germany’s Johannes Lochner.

The U.S. four-man sled driven by Frank del Duca was 13th.

Luge

Austria swept the medals in a men’s World Cup race on its home track in Igls on Sunday, with Nico Gleirscher winning, Jonas Mueller second and David Gleirscher third. The Austrians even got fourth: that spot went to Wolfgang Kindl.

Jonny Gustafson was the top American in the men’s race, placing 11th.

A team relay scheduled for later Sunday was canceled because of heavy snow.

Up next

Luge: World Cup at Oberhof, Germany, Dec. 14-15.

Bobsled: World Cup at Sigulda, Latvia, Dec. 14-15.

Skeleton: World Cup at Sigulda, Latvia, Friday.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)