Novouralsk (ck) - On the last day of the 24th European Championships both top favourites performed up to expectations and secured the titles with three fastest run times each. So the old European Champions are also the new ones. For Patrick Pigneter (ITA) it was the second title, for Ekatharina Lavrentjeva (RUS) the fourth. She sled to her title without any pressure: “This race was not very difficult for me. Last year I put a lot of pressure on myself and I was thinking too much. This year I am much calmer and everything goes really easy. Of course I was concentrated in each run, but I just made my normal race”, said Russia’s top star, whose run times would also ranked her within the top ten in the men’s race. Runner up Melanie Batkowski (AUT) was very well aware of this: “Kathi was impossible to beat. I am satisfied, I just tried to finish my three runs with a minimum of mistakes”, said Batkowski who managed to win one rank during the three runs. She passed Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) who eventually won the bronze medal and made peace with the track in Novouralsk: “The world cup here did not go well for me, as a result I did not have a spot in team event. Then I tried something new with my sled and that did not work very well, either. So I started to feel a little bit nervous and was wondering what would be next. After the first run I saw that I actually had a chance for a podium finish.” A podium finish was his goal and a podium finish, his first in a major event, was the result for bronze medallist Hannes Clara (ITA): “It is such a great feeling when you reach your goal. It was a new situation for me that I had to prepare my sled by myself. Normally this does my father and I trust him a hundred percent. I can do it myself, but it is a different feeling. I realized that I don’t have this total confidence when I do it myself”, says Clara who normally does not have any problems with his mental preparation: “I have my nerves well under control. I think this is because I also participate in the doubles’ races, so I have a lot more starts and a lot of routine.” He was defeated by Patrick Pigneter but also by Michael Scheikl (AUT), who sees his silver medal as the reward for his hard work during the summer: “This is the biggest success in my career so far and I cannot even believe it yet. Everything went so easy here, I had a feeling of confidence which allowed me to push the limits a bit harder without being afraid that I would risk too much. It is just fantastic that the timing went so well and I am in this good shape right for the Championships”. Scheikl was the only athlete next to Pigneter, who managed to reach the finish in less than 59 seconds: “I could not believe it when I saw the time. I did not do anything different in this run, it just went really smoothly.” With even three run times under 59 seconds, Patrick Pigneter once more upset the rest of the field and let no doubt that in spite of the mishap in the doubles’ event and the unlucky fourth place in the team event, he is the man to beat, at least in the singles’ race. “Mentally this was a very tough week for me” he said. “I had so many runs and each of them requires full concentration, because I don’t know this track so well. Then we have to prepare our sleds by ourselves which also takes a lot of time.” He appreciates his European title: “Once again it could be seen how close victory and defeat lie next to each other. Of course you learn more from defeat. I have been fully concentrated three times and I knew that I had to go full speed three times.” After three days and four events Austria leaves Russia with most medals, having won six (four silver, two bronze) out of twelve. Russia claimed three gold medals and scored their maximum. A bit below expectations remained Italy with only one gold and two bronze medals. Germany missed the medal ranks by exactly three hundredths of a second. Final Results Women (17): 1. Ekatharina LAVRENTJEVA (RUS), 1:00,07(1), 1:00,04(1), 0:59,97(1), 3:00,08 2. Melanie BATKOWSKI (AUT), 1:00,89 (3), 1:00,96(2), 1:00,61(2), 3:02,46 3. Evelin LANTHALER (ITA), 1:00.70(2), 1:01,06(3), 1.00,93(3), 3:02,69 4. Renate GIETL (ITA), 1:01,74(4), 1:01,35(4), 1:01,47(4), 3:04,56 5. Melanie SCHWARZ (ITA), 1:01,80(5), 1:01,39(5), 1:01,65(5), 3:04,84 6. Alena ASCHEULOVA (RUS), 1:02,32(7), 1:01,96(6), 1:01,98(6), 3:06,26 7. Tina UNTERBERGER, 1:02,59(8), 1:02,14(7), 1:02,30(7), 3:07,03 8. Ludmila AKSENENKO (RUS), 1:02,16(6), 1:03,15(10), 1:02,56(8), 3.07,87 Final Results Men (32): 1. Patrick PIGNETER (ITA), 0:58,55(1), 0:58,45(1), 0:58,97(1), 2:55,97 2. Michael SCHEIKL (AUT), 0:59,14(3), 0:58, 85(2), 0:59,02(2), 2:57,01 3. Hannes CLARA (ITA), 0:59, 13(2), 0:59, 07(3), 0:59,49(3), 2:57,69 4. Thomas SCHOPF (AUT), 0:59,90(8), 0:59,42(4), 0:59,86(4), 2.59.18 5. Anton BLASBICHLER (AUT), 0:59,59(4), 0:59,97(7), 1:00,09(6), 2:59,65 6. Alex GRUBER (ITA), 0:59,79(5), 0:59,89 (6), 1:00,09(6), 2:59,77 7. Robert BATKOWSKI (AUT), 1:00,10(9), 0:59,86(5), 1:00,06(5), 3:00,02 8. Rudi RESCH (ITA), 0:59,82(7), 1:00,36(11), 1:00,18(8), 3:00,36 9. Stanislav KOVSHIK (RUS), 1:00,27(13), 1:00,05(8), 1:00,58(9), 3:00,90 10. Gernot SCHWAB (AUT), 1:00,20(11), 1:00,06(9), 1:00,69(14), 3.00,95