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West became the first American to win a singles race in 17 years last week when he raced to victory in a World Cup meet on his home track in Lake Placid, N.Y. West, 19, also became the youngest World Cup singles winner in team history.
He put down the fastest two times of the day in the race. He won by .77 seconds over Wolfgand Kindl of Austria.
Wendel Suckow won a singles race for the U.S. in February 1997, the most recent win by a U.S. athlete.
West bounced back after failing to make the Nations Cup cut just a week earlier.
“It’s been a frustrating month,’’ West told USLuge.org. “I haven’t had a clean run in any training session. So to have this is a huge confidence boost and hopefully the tide is turning.
“If felt good on my home track,’’ he added. “I had my parents and family and friends watching. It came together and the stars aligned.”
West made the U.S. Olympic team that competed in Sochi, Russia, in February. He finished 22nd overall and was a hit on the Internet and the "Today" show.
Click here for the full story on USALuge.org about his victory last week.
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