Gietl (ITA), Pigneter (ITA) and Pigneter/Clara (ITA): all title defenders present in Umhausen Umhausen (ck) - This coming weekend Umhausen/Ötztal, in the valley which is famous for the “Ötzi” remains, will host the 18th FIL World Championships in Natural Track Luge. For the fifth time in the history of FIL Championships a team event will be held. In the women’s event Russia’s serial winner Ekatharina Lavrentjeva will try everything to claim back her title which was taken from her by Renate Gietl (ITA) two years ago in Passeier. Lavrentjeva had been World Champion three times already (2000, 2005 and 2007). Over the eternal rivalry between Lavrentjeva and Gietl, Austria’s Melanie Batkowski could be the lucky third as the track in Umhausen is her home track. Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) who is still a junior could also be a medal contender. She already positioned herself successfully in the international top field. The men’s competition will be a close fight for the medals. Next to defending World Champion Patrick Pigneter (ITA) whose superiority has been contested lately, three former world champions will compete in Umhausen. Anton Blasbichler (ITA) won the title in 2001 and 2005, Robert Batkowski in 2003 and Gernot Schwab (whose participation is unsure) in 2007. Local hero and a serious medal contender is Thomas Kammerlander, though, who already won silver in the 2009 World Championships and was also runner up in last year’s European Championships. He has won his first and up to date only world cup race in Umhausen and recently showed good form. Also his brother Gerald has won races in Umhausen already. Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara (ITA), Pawel Porschnev/Ivan Lazarev (RUS) and Christian Schopf/Andreas Schopf (AUT) shared all world cup wins of the last three seasons between them. It is to be expected that one of these three pairs will leave Umhausen as the new world champion. For the Russians it would be the third title after 2005 and 2007, Pigneter/Clara are the reigning champions and for Christian Schopf it would be the first title. His brother comes to Umhausen as a two-time world champion, but those two titles he won with his cousin Wolfgang while he has been racing with his younger brother Christian in the past three years. As always in championships three runs will be held for men’s and women’s single seaters. The doubles’ event will have two runs only. For the team event one women, one man and one double will start for each team. Longest journey to Umhausen: 6,057.5 km and minus 45° Celsius If there were a prize for the longest travels to participate in the Championships in Umhausen it would undoubtedly go to Kaj Johnson from Canada. Between Rankin Inlet in Nunavut Territory on the Hudson Bay to Umhausen it’s 6057.5 km – as the crow flies, though. In reality the Canadian top athlete, who was ranked best non-Italian and non-Austrian (who have been dominating the men’s events for years) in Kindberg’s world cup last week, travelled more than 8000km and five days before he reached Umhausen. “The plane which should have taken me to Yellowknife could not fly because of bad weather conditions”, told the Canadian police officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Only an unscheduled flight in a calm moment between snowstorms and blizzards could get Kaj Johnson out of Rankin Inlet which is located 1800km northeast of Edmonton and has no road connection to southern Canada. Currently there are temperatures around minus 45 centigrade. “From Yellowknife I flew to Edmonton, from there to Calgary and then to Munich. All together it was five days later after I tried to get out of Rankin Inlet first, before I got to Austria.” His last assignment as a police officer before he left to Austria, was to keep a polar bear from terrorizing the city’s population. “We managed to chase the polar bear out of town, just before it was going to attack a sled dog camp. Thank God we did not have to shoot the bear.” At the world championships Kaj Johnson will not be among the medal contenders but he has already achieved several top-ten results in his career. Track Info: Elevation of Start: 1160m Elevation of Finish: 1040m Difference: 120m Length: 995m Average Descent: 12,6% World Championships Program: Wednesday, 26.01.2011: Arrival of Nations Thursday, 27.01.2011 10.30am: Team Captain’s meeting and draw 2.30pm: 1st Training run women and men 5.30pm: 2nd Training run women and men Friday, 28.01.2011: 10.30am: 1st Training run doubles 11.45am: 2nd Training run doubles 1.00pm: 2011 WCH Team Event start order: doubles, women, men Flower Ceremony Team Event afterwards: Training run for remaining single seaters 6.30pm: Opening Ceremony Saturday, 29.01.2011: 10.30am: 1st Competition run doubles afterwards 1st Competition run women 12.30pm 2nd Competition run doubles 6.30pm: 2nd Competition run women afterwards 1st Competition run men Sunday, 30.01.2011 10.30am: 2nd Competition run men 12.30pm: 3rd Competition run men afterwards: 3rd Competition run women 3pm: all Medal Ceremonies 2009 Moos/Passeier (ITA) World Championships Results: Women: 1. Renate GIETL (ITA) 2. Ekatharina LAVRENTJEVA (RUS) 3. Renate KASSLATTER (ITA) 4. Evelin LANTHALER (ITA) 5. Melanie BATKOWSKI (AUT) Men: 1. Patrick PIGNETER (ITA) 2. Thomas KAMMERLANDER (AUT) 3. Thomas SCHOPF (AUT) 4. Hannes CLARA (ITA) 5. Gernot SCHWAB (AUT) Doubles: 1. Patrick PIGNETER/Florian CLARA (ITA) 2. Christian SCHOPF/Andreas SCHOPF (AUT) 3. Andrzej LASZCZAK/Damian WANICZEK (POL) 4. Pawel PORSCHNEV/Ivan LAZAREV (RUS) 5. Aleksandr EGOROV/Petr POPOV (RUS) Team Event: 1. Italien I (Anton BLASBICHLER, Renate GIETL, Patrick PIGNETER/Florian CLARA) 2. Österreich I (Thomas SCHOPF, Melanie BATKOWSKI, Christian SCHOPF/Andreas SCHOPF) 3. Russland II (Ivan LAZAREV, Ekatharina LAVRENTJEVA, Pawel PORSCHNEV/Ivan LAZAREV)