Lake Placid (pps) New names on the winners’ list, upcoming new-comers and old acquaintances at the top: The Viessmann Luge World Cup started the Olympic winter with numerous surprises. There were no fewer than ten different winners in the 15 events that took place before the Christmas break. Just Germany’s 1998 Olympic champion and 2002 bronze medallist Silke Kraushaar was the only luger to achieve three victories.

World Cup title holder Albert Demchenko, of Russia, and 2002 Olympic champion Armin Zoeggeler, of Italy, proved the superior athletes in the men’s event with two wins each at the five events in Sigulda, Latvia, Cesana Pariol, Italy, Altenberg, Germany, Calgary, Canada, and Lake Placid, USA. Germany’s 2002 Olympic doubles champions, Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch, also gained two victories.

The newcomers on the winners’ list are Germany’s Tatjana Huefner at Altenberg, Italy’s Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova as the winner of the Suzuki Challenge Cup on the 2006 Olympic track at Cesana Pariol and the Latvian team in the team event on their home track in Sigulda and the Italian team in Lake Placid.

The Latvian brothers Andris and Juris Sics brought new swing into the doubles competition when they finished runners-up in Calgary. They currently hold 9th position on the overall ranking. Prior to the last three events at Koenigssee (January 6-7), Igls (January 14-15) and Oberhof (January 28-29) the Canadian brothers Chris and Mike Moffat are ranked one place behind them.

In the women’s event the two US Americans Samantha Retrosi and Erin Hamlin proved the surprises when they finished fourth and fifth respectively on their home-track in Lake Placid thus booking the Olympic ticket.

There seems to be a „closed party“ solely in the men’s event with Zoeggeler, Demchenko, American Tony Benshoof, Austrian Markus Kleinheinz and the two Germans David Moeller and Georg Hackl. Russian Viktor Kneib made the biggest step forward as sixth overall.

Prior to the Olympic Winter Games in Torino (February 10-26) the next highlights on the luge Calendar are the European Championships with the participation of oversea nations at Winterberg, Germany, on January 20-22 plus the last three Viessmann Luge World Cup events.

Photo: Albert Demtschenko/RUS