40th FIL Junior World Championships in Luge – St. Moritz-Celerina 2025
St. Moritz (FIL/28 Jan 2025) On February 1 and 2, 2025, the Olympia Bobrun St. Moritz-Celerina in the Swiss Engadine will once again be the focus of international luge. For the 40th time, the best young athletes in the world will compete for the coveted medals and the title of Junior World Champion.
The Olympia Bobrun St. Moritz-Celerina is the oldest bobsleigh track in the world that is still in operation and at the same time the only natural ice track remaining on the World Cup and World Championship calendar worldwide. St. Moritz and Celerina provide an impressive backdrop for the season highlight of the international junior luge athletes. In a unique atmosphere, surrounded by the Alpine mountain scenery, the young luge cracks will demonstrate their skills and compete against the best talents from all over the world.
Favorites from the Junior World Cup: A look at the top Junior Athletes
The 40th FIL Junior World Championships in Luge promise thrilling competitions and a lineup of favorites who bring their outstanding form from the Junior World Cup.
In the Men's singles event, Leon Haselrieder from Italy, the winner of the Youth Olympic Winter Games (YOG) 2024, remains one of the top contenders this season. He dominated the singles competition at the first two Junior World Cups in La Plagne, France, continuing his success with consistent performances. Alongside Noah Kallan from Austria and Marco Leger from Germany, Haselrieder is one of the top medal contenders in St. Moritz.
From Canada, Dylan Morse is a promising athlete who stood on an international podium for the first time at the second Junior World Cup in La Plagne. Morse, Theo Downey (also from Canada), and their teammate Embyr-Lee Susko are currently among the fastest junior athletes in singles. However, the Canadian team will miss the Junior World Championships (JWCh) in Switzerland, as they have a unique opportunity to compete at the 53rd FIL World Championships in the general class at their home track in Whistler.
Germany's Anka Jänicke, one of the strongest athletes this season, won every Junior World Cup in women's singles so far. Unfortunately, she will not compete in St. Moritz due to a foot injury and surgery. Her teammates Josephine Buse and the 2024 YOG Champion Antonia Pietschmann, along with Austria's Marie Riedl and Viktoria Gasser and Italy's talented Alexandra Oberstolz, are currently among the fastest junior athletes in women's singles.
In the doubles competition, the German duo Louis Grünbeck and Maximilian Kührt are strong medal contenders after securing a narrow victory at the Junior World Cup in Winterberg. The Latvian teams should not be overlooked, particularly Raimonds Baltgalvis and Uldis Jakseboga, who delivered impressive performances in La Plagne and Winterberg and have proven to be serious competitors for the German teams. The Youth Olympic Games winners Philipp Brunner and Manuel Weissensteiner from Italy, as well as Austria’s Johannes Scharnagl and Moritz Schiegl, also aim to compete for the coveted JWCh medals.
In the women’s doubles, teams from Germany, Italy, Austria, and Latvia are among the favorites. Germany will be represented by Elisa Storch and Pauline Patz, as well as Sarah Pflaume and Lina Peterseim. Storch and Patz recently showcased their strong form with an impressive sixth-place finish at the EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Oberhof, Germany. Italy relies on the YOG 2024 Champions Alexandra Oberstolz and Katharina Kofler. The Austrian duo Lina Riedl and Anna Lerch are also aiming for a top placement, while Latvia’s young athletes Amanda Ogorodnikova and Selina Zvilna have already demonstrated their medal potential in the Junior World Cup. A high-caliber competition is guaranteed.
With a variety of talented athletes from different nations, the 40th FIL Junior World Championships presented by Degussa in St. Moritz promise exciting races and a glimpse into the future stars of luge. Who will ultimately prevail and claim the coveted JWCh titles remains to be seen.
A look at the program
The Junior World Championships begin on Saturday, February 1 at 8:30 a.m. with the first men's single race. The exciting doubles competition will follow at 11:00 a.m., with both the young women and men competing.
On Saturday, February 2, the women's single will start at 8:30 a.m., followed by the team competition at 11:00 a.m., which will mark the end of the Junior World Championships.
The importance of the Junior World Championships
The FIL Luge Junior World Championship has established itself as an important talent pool over the years. Many former junior world champions are now established stars in the EBERSPAECHER World Cup and have won medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games. These championships offer an exciting outlook on the future stars of the sport.
Unique atmosphere on the natural ice bobsleigh track
The Olympia Bobrun St. Moritz-Celerina is not only a historic landmark, but also an engineering masterpiece. The facility is the only natural ice bobsleigh track in the world and hosts spectacular competitions every year. Here, young athletes are challenged on one of the fastest tracks in the world and can also benefit from the unique atmosphere of the Swiss Olympic venue.
Schedule 40th FIL Junior World Championships presented by Degussa:
All Times are local times in CET/Central Europe Time):
Saturday, February 1, 2025
8:30 a.m. Women's singles run 1 + 2
11:00 a.m. Doubles F/M run 1 + 2
followed by award ceremonies in the start area (top)
Sunday, February 2, 2025
08:30 hrs Men's singles run 1 + 2
11:00 hrs Team competition
followed by award ceremonies in the start area (top)
Subject to change!
The Olympic Bobrun St. Moritz-Celerina offers a live stream of the race at the following link: https://olympia-bobrun.ch/portfolio-item/livestream/
