Erin Hamlin

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Erin Hamlin
2017-02-26 Erin Hamlin by Sandro Halank-2.jpg
Hamlin in February 2017
Personal information
Full nameErin Mullady Hamlin
BornNovember 19, 1986 (1986-11-19) (age 38)
New Hartford, New York, United States
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight161 lb (73 kg)
Sport
SportLuge
Medal record
Women's Luge
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Event1st2nd3rd
Olympic Games 001
World Championships 220
Total221
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2014 Sochi Singles
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Lake Placid Singles
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Igls Sprint
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Igls Singles
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Igls Mixed team

Erin Mullady Hamlin [1] (born 19 November 1986) is a four-time Olympian [2] and the first female American luger to medal at any Winter Olympics, as well as the first American of either gender to medal in luge singles competition [3] [4] and the first non-European woman to take an Olympic medal in luge. [5] She took the singles bronze medal in Sochi's 2014 Winter Olympics, something the Associated Press called "a feat that will surely go down as perhaps the greatest moment in USA Luge history". [6]

Contents

Career

At age 12 Hamlin took an interest in luge and attended the U.S. Luge Screening Camp in Syracuse, NY. By age 17 Hamlin won a gold medal at the Junior National Luge Championship held in Lake Placid, NY. At this event Hamlin finished first in the women's singles race with a two-run time of 1-minute, 34.097 seconds. [7]

In 2004, Hamlin won ten medals in five years of racing. Hamlin raced in the Junior World Cups held in Germany and Austria. She participated in the Junior World Championships. She placed seventh in the 2004 Junior World Cups, making her a U.S. junior national luge champion where she competed around the world as a member of the U.S. Junior National Team.

In 2006 Hamlin represented the United States at the Olympic Games held in Torino, Italy and again in 2010 when the Olympic Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She had been viewed as a medal contender for the 2010 Games after she had enjoyed her best Luge World Cup season to date, placing fourth in the 2009-10 season standings, however she could only finish 16th at the Games themselves. [5]

In 2009, Hamlin placed first at the FIL World Luge Championships held in Lake Placid, New York. This marked the first time in 99 races that a German woman was not the top finisher. [8] It also made her the first American to win a world championship in luge. [9] In addition, Hamlin and third-placed Natalia Yakushenko were the first non-German world championship medallists in women's luge since the Austrian Angelika Neuner in 1997. [10]

In 2014 Hamlin earned a bronze medal at the Olympic Games held in Sochi, Russia.

Other accomplishments include 2017 World Championship silver medalist, 2017 World Champion in sprint discipline, 2017 World Championship silver medalist as lead leg in team relay, 4 World Cup victories, 23 World Cup medals. [11]

Hamlin competed in her fourth and last Winter Olympics at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She was selected as the U.S. Flag Bearer in the Opening Ceremony on February 9. [12]

Personal life

A native of Remsen, New York, Hamlin also makes her home in Lake Placid. She is the daughter of Eileen and Ronald Hamlin who both reside in Remsen. Hamlin attended Remsen Junior-Senior High School where she was a Sectional All-Star in both soccer and track. Hamlin graduated in 2004.

In 2009, Hamlin became a spokesperson for the National Headache Foundation in the wake of her suffering migraine headaches. [2]

Hamlin is sponsored by Adirondack Bank and has appeared in print advertisements and commercials that air locally in the Utica/Rome area. [13]

Hamlin retired after the 2018 Winter Olympic Games saying, "I can now officially, officially say that I'm done. Done. Now that I'm qualified I can say that I'm out [after the Games]." [14]

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References

  1. Hamlin, Erin (February 1, 2014). "What is your middle name?". twitter.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Johnson, Sandra (December 30, 2013). "2014 Winter Olympics:Erin Hamlin, Three-Time Luge Olympian". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  3. John, Arit (February 11, 2014). "Erin Hamlin Makes Olympic History, Wins America's First Luge Singles Medal". thewire.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  4. Estrada, Chris (February 11, 2014). "Erin Hamlin's bronze is first U.S. medal in singles luge". olympictalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Harder, Wolfgang (May 2014). "Erin Hamlin enters the history books earning the first medal for a woman from outside Europe" (PDF). FIL Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 51. Berchtesgaden, Germany: International Luge Federation. p. 7. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  6. "Geisenberger wins women's luge gold; Hamlin takes historic bronze for U.S." Associated Press. Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. February 11, 2014. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  7. "NewsBank". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  8. American Erin Hamlin Edges German Women to Win Luge [ dead link ] SI.com, February 6, 2009
  9. Palmer, Justin (February 11, 2014). "Geisenberger wins gold but team discord evident". reuters.com . Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  10. Kekis, John (February 6, 2009). "Skiing: USA's Hamlin wins women's luge at worlds". The Honolulu Advertiser . Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  11. "Erin Hamlin". Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  12. "Erin Hamlin Selected As Team USA's Flag Bearer For PyeongChang 2018". Teamusa.org. February 7, 2018. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018.
  13. "Olympic Bronze Medalist Becomes Face of Adirondack Bank" . Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  14. "Luge | Athlete Profile: Erin HAMLIN - Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games". www.olympic.org. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for United States
Pyeongchang 2018
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