Grotheer earns first skeleton World Cup win with track records; Martineau eighth
ALTENBERG, Germany — Canada’s Barrett Martineau slid to eighth place for his best career finish on a European track at the Skeleton World Cup on Saturday.
The 25-year-old former ski jumper from Calgary clocked a two-run time of one minute 54.08 seconds on the 1,413-metre highly technical track.
“I’m wearing a big smile today,” said Martineau after matching his career best performance. He also has eighth place finishes on the World Cup in Park City, Utah, and Whistler, B.C. “Altenberg is one of the hardest tracks in the world, and it is one that I have had the least amount of runs and experience on so it’s great to be able to come out of this race as the top North American on European grounds.”
Martineau rebounded after a slow start in his first run, gaining speed down the track to put the eighth fastest down time. He cleaned up his second start, clocking the sixth-fastest time at 5.11, leading to a steady second trip down the 17-corner chute.