Erin Hamlin makes history in Sochi with first U.S. luge singles medal

SOCHI , Russia, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Erin Hamlin made Olympic history Tuesday when she earned a medal in the singles luge event while competing in the Sochi Games.

The 27-year-old athlete finished third and broke a 50-year U.S. streak with no medals in the singles luge category. The event was first introduced as an Olympic sport in the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Games.

"It's surreal," Hamlin said of her medal. "…I came here with no expectations and this is beyond what I imagined."

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger and Tatjana Huefner came in first and second respectively during the women luge singles event.

Geisenberger, the world's best in women's singles luge, locked in her gold medal with a 3:19.768 total time, while Huefner secured the second spot at 3:20.907. Hamlin earned her history-making bronze medal with a 3:21.145 time.

Hamlin finished in the 12th spot when she competed in the 2006 Turin Games and 16th in 2010's Vancouver Games, but her competitive training times for Sochi made her a serious medal contender for the 2014 Games.

[Yahoo]