Canada's Sam Edney scores luge bronze at Olympic test event

Canada's Sam Edney slid to a bronze medal at the luge World Cup stop in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Sunday.

Italy's Dominik Fischnaller won gold in a time of one minute, 37.229 seconds, Germany's Andi Langenhan took silver.

Edney, a 15-year veteran of the national team who took a year off competing due to a series of injuries, was 0.465 seconds back of Fischnaller.

"I needed it today. It has been a pretty dismal year and I have been pretty hard on myself after most races," the Calgary native said in a press release. "This result is vital for me to walk away from the season, and know that it is not a failure at all.

"I was getting into a pretty dark place and questioning what I was doing, but this will carry me through the summer and gives me the motivation I need to train my butt off — knowing I can still be there."

Edney, who was part of the fourth-place relay team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, became the first Canadian male ever to reach a World Cup podium outside of Canada according to the Canadian Luge Association.

Reid Watts, of Whistler, B.C., placed 21st while Calgary's Mitch Malyk was 25th.

The competition was part of an Olympic test event ahead of the 2018 Games.