The Luge start pull handles at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Michele Roepke

BEIJING — Park City’s first-time Olympian from the Wasatch Luge Club, Ashley Farquharson, is leading the three US women in the Beijing 2022 Games on the luge track. She’s in 18th place after the first two runs of four.

The 22-year-old, three-time Jr. National Champion who won a bronze medal in the 2021 World Championships, competed in the 2016 Youth Olympic Games.

Even though she crossed the finish line for her first run back in 20th place with many athletes to still slide, Farquharson smiled into the camera with red glitter on one cheekbone and blue on the other, and in a sing-song voice said, “I’m an Olympian.”

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Farquharson is a Youth Sports Alliance athlete who trains at the Utah Olympic Park has a brother who is a former U.S. Luge Team slider. She ended up with a two-run cumulative time of 1 minute and 58.996 seconds which has her leading the Americans in 18th place.

Her teammate, Summer Britcher from Pennsylvania, in her third Olympics, crashed on her first run. However, she was not only able to climb out of the track on her own power but while carrying her sled, gave the camera a bit of a tongue-in-cheek bow. Britcher had a smoother second run totaling 2 minutes and 00.142 seconds putting her in 26th place.

Emily Sweeney, from Connecticut, in her second Olympics, crashed on her second run at the luge track today in Beijing. She posted a combined time of 2 minutes and 01.410 seconds and is in 28th place.

Tomorrow Team USA races for final results in Beijing’s Women’s Olympic Luge.