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Originally published December 12, 2009 at 6:59 PM | Page modified December 13, 2009 at 9:51 PM

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Winter sports | Christian Niccum of Woodinville makes Olympic luge team

Christian Niccum of Woodinville and Dan Joye teamed to finish fourth in a World Cup luge doubles race Saturday.

By The Associated Press

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LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Christian Niccum of Woodinville and Dan Joye teamed to finish fourth in a World Cup luge doubles race Saturday, clinching spots on the U.S. roster for next year's Vancouver Olympics.

It will be the second Olympic trip for both sliders, their first as sledmates.

Three of the 10 spots on the U.S. Olympic luge team are filled. World women's champion Erin Hamlin formally wrapped up her Olympic berth last weekend. This weekend's World Cup event was the final stop before USA Luge submits its list of nominations for Vancouver to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

"First of all, it feels great to make the Olympic team," Niccum said. "This year, from the beginning of the season, we've had some sled problems. We got disqualified in our very first race and it was a battle to get to where we thought we could."

For the United States, three men, three women and two doubles teams will go to Vancouver.

Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, the 2006 Olympic gold medalists, won Saturday's race.

Notes

• Defending Olympic champion Shaun White won the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix — the first key event on the road to the Vancouver Games.

White edged Louie Vito, who recently competed in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" 47.0 to 45.6 in the halfpipe in Copper Mountain, Colo.

Kelly Clark, 2002 Olympic gold medalist, won the women's event.

• Skier Ted Ligety of Park City, Utah, the Olympic combined champion, was second to Austria's Michael Walchhofer in a World Cup super-giant slalom in Val d'Isere, France. Walchhofer won in 1 minute, 20.78 seconds to beat Ligety by 0.28 seconds on a treacherous and icy course.

"It was just a struggle today," Ligety said.

• Sarah Schleper of Vail, Colo., was eighth in a World Cup giant slalom in Are, Sweden, for her first top-10 finish since 2006. Tessa Worley of France won the event.

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