Another luge medal for Erin Hamlin, this time coming in a World Cup race

Hamlin gets World Cup luge bronze

LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Luge world champion Erin Hamlin has added a World Cup medal to her collection, and Tony Benshoof is heading to the Olympics for the third time.

Hamlin was third in a World Cup race Sunday for her highest series finish, becoming the first U.S. woman to medal in the series since Ashley Hayden took bronze at Winterberg in 2005.

“First medal in World Cup, so I am happy,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin, a 23-year-old from Remsen, N.Y., led midway through the two-run event, then finished 0.037 seconds behind German winner Tatjana Hufner. Another German, Natalie Geisenberger, was second.

“We know that Erin is very good so that her good times are no surprise,” Geisenberger said. “Tatjana and me only wanted to attack in second run and we are happy that it worked.”

Hamlin won the world championship last season on her home track in Lake Placid, N.Y. She has already clinched a spot on the U.S. team headed to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

And Benshoof will be there as well.

Although it seemed merely like a formality, Benshoof, a 34-year-old from White Bear Lake, Minn., locked up his trip to Vancouver with a ninth-place finish in Sunday’s men’s World Cup race, finishing 1.043 seconds behind Russian winner Albert Demtschenko.

Armin Zoeggeler of Italy was second and Felix Loch of Germany took third.

Benshoof becomes the fourth American luge competitor assured of a trip to Vancouver, joining Hamlin and the doubles team of Christian Niccum and Dan Joye. The rest of the 10-person U.S. Olympic luge team will be announced this week.