Naseby-based luger Jack Leslie just keeps on getting better.
The 18-year-old, who last month won the natural track luge junior world cup, finished second at the junior world championships in Italy at the weekend.
Leslie, who is from Christchurch but trains in Naseby during winter, was up against 41 lugers from 13 countries.
He finished third in the first run on the natural track at Latsch, before posting the fastest run of the competition in his second run to move into first place.
However, after starting the third run well, he made a mistake towards the end and had to settle for the silver medal.
The Kiwi finished 0.11sec behind winner Fabian Achenrainer, of Austria, whom he beat in the World Cup last month.
Lukas Gasser, of Italy, was third.
"In the third and final run, I was very nervous at the start,'' Leslie said in a statement.
"After the first five corners I was confident, but near the last corner I think I got too excited and had a bad corner so I lost my first place. But second place is also not so bad, so I am not so disappointed.''
The race was the penultimate race in a breakthrough season for Leslie, and was the last time he was eligible to compete in the junior section.
Before he won the world cup last month, he became the first New Zealander to record a podium finish in an international race, when he won the second round of the world championships at Seiser Alm, Italy.
It surpassed the eighth-placed finish by two-time Olympian Angela Paul at the artificial track junior world championships in the United States in 1995.
Leslie's sister, Olivia (16), finished 12th in a field of 25 lugers from 12 countries in the women's junior world championships.
She recorded 14th, 13th and 12th-place finishes in her three runs at the weekend.
"These are outstanding results for Jack, Olivia, New Zealand Luge and for the luge track at Naseby,'' New Zealand Luge Association president Geoff Balme said.
"They have worked extremely hard. Jack deserves his podium finishes and it continues to show the potential for our Naseby luge track, the only ice luge track in the southern hemisphere.''
The Leslie siblings have one more race this season, the final senior World Cup race in Umhausen, Austria, this weekend.
Jack goes into the race sitting 20th of 71 competitors, despite having only competed in three of the five senior events.
Olivia is 25th of 34 competitors from 15 countries.
