Rzhanaya Polyana, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Erin Hamlin made Olympic history Tuesday, becoming the first American to medal in luge singles by claiming the bronze in the women's competition at the Sanki Sliding Center.
Germany's Natalie Geisenberger, the 2010 bronze medalist, grabbed gold with a total time of 3 minutes, 19.768 seconds, while countrymate and defending Olympic champion Tatjana Huefner finished second with a total time of 3:20.907.
The 26-year-old Geisenberger was coming off a first-place finish in this event at the World Championships in Canada back in December.
Geisenberger recorded the best time in each of the first three runs, giving her a comfortable lead of 1.049 seconds over Huefner heading into the final run.
Geisenberger, slated to go last in the final round, then watched as Hamlin and Huefner failed to make up enough time to catch her before roaring down the track in 50.189 seconds to capture her second Olympic medal.
Hamlin, 27, finished with a total time of 3:21.145, just .433 seconds ahead of Canadian Alex Gough. Gough's compatriot, Kimberley McRae, followed in fifth.
Kate Hansen, the 21-year-old American whose pre-run dancing warmup has drawn attention online, finished in 10th place.
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