Winterberg (pps) Germany’s women are celebrating an anniversary and World champion David Moeller is celebrating a première. For more than ten years now, the victory streak of the women’s singles luge team of Thomas Schwab, head coach luge within the German Bobsleigh and Sled Sports Federation, BSD, is still unbroken – a winning series that stands second to none in international sports. In the shadow of Germany’s successful women World champion David Moeller will celebrate a première: for the first time in his career the Federal police officer is heading the overall Viessmann World Cup ranking prior to the next event in Winterberg (December 8-9, 2007).
Since November 29, 1997, when Austria’s Andrea Tagwerker achieved a victory in Koenigsee, the protégés of Thomas Schwab remained undefeated in the past 75 events of the Viessmann Luge World Cup. “It’s great to have achieved this feat over the past ten years. But that’s not important for me. The current performance matters, everything else is not relevant”, Thomas Schwab explained.
It was World champion Tatjana Huefner who achieved the 75th straight victory at the second Viessmann World Cup event in Calgary. “I’m really pleased having achieved this feat”, the 24-year-old commented. At the World Cup event in Winterberg, however, team-mate Silke Kraushaar-Pielach might have a reason to be pleased since the 1998 Olympic champion needs just another single victory to join Sylke Otto (37 wins) for the most-career women’s singles World Cup wins. “I absolutely want to break the record this winter”, the 37-year-old said. Apart from the Olympic gold medal Kraushaar-Pielach also achieved a silver (2006) and a bronze medal (2002) at Olympic Winter Games. At the end of the season she will end her active career in luge.
David Moeller, on the other hand, is not yet thinking about the end of his career. The two-time World champion (2004, 2007) rather wants to solidify his top position in the overall World Cup rankings. “I know how to handle the track in Winterberg”, the 25-year-old said whose toughest competitors will be last year’s winner Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, the two-time Olympic and five-time World champion.
Olympic and four-time World champions Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch are continuing their dominance in luge. The doubles’ team from Bavaria celebrated their 28th victory in Calgary – thereby surpassing two-time Olympic doubles’ champions Stefan Krauße-Jan Behrend (27 wins) as the record winners of the Viessmann Luge World Cup. “We want to achieve even further podium finishes”, said Alexander Resch. Giving their opponents a good scare at the 2010 Olympics (“our main goal”) and having a say when the medals will be awarded at the upcoming FIL World Championships in Oberhof – this is what’s on their mind.