Huefner’s burden of being a top favourite: “Quite used to it“
Cesana (pps) The situation is nothing new to Olympic champion Tatjana Huefner. “Well, for the past years I’ve been counted among the top favourites at the season’s highlights. I’m quite used to it”, said Germany’s two-time World champion prior to the start of the 42nd World Championships of the International Luge Federation, FIL, in Cesana.
After the career end of Olympic champions Sylke Otto (2002 and 2006) as well as Silke Kraushaar-Pielach (1998), the 27-year old has seamlessly slipped into the role as “market leader”, winning three gold medals (2007 and 2008 Worlds, 2010 Olympic Games) as well as three overall Viessmann Luge World Cup victories in a row. In the post-Olympic season Huefner is well on her way to become the first female luger to take her fourth successive overall World Cup title.
Whoever wants to earn the World championship title in the women’s singles on the 2006 Olympic luge track has to get past - first and foremost - Tatjana Huefner, who took the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Torino five years ago. Erin Hamlin, the first female US luger to earn the gold medal at the 2009 World Championships on her home-track in Lake Placid, was the last luger to have achieved this feat. At the 2006 Olympic Games, just being 19 years old, Erin Hamlin finished in 12th position. This winter the defending champion has already posted two third place finishes in Igls and Calgary.
Apart from Hamlin, Canada’s Alex Gough, 4th at the 2009 Worlds, figures among the title favourites. In the post-Olympic season 23-year old Gough achieved three podium finishes, three times she posted a third rank and thus accomplished the feat to break into the dominance of Germany’s women. Even though Austria’s Veronika Halder has not yet been able to show a convincing performance this season, she still counts among the favourites – after all she earned the bronze medal at the 2008 Europeans in Cesana. “I like the track”, said Veronika Halder, fifth at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.
Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger, who celebrated her so far only international title at the 2008 European Championships, is rather very explicit about her ambitions to earn a medal this time round. “There’s no doubt about it – I want a medal at the Worlds” said Geisenberger who will celebrate her 23rd birthday on February 5, exactly one week after the decision in the women’s singles (January 29, 2001 / start at 08:15 hrs local time). Her team-mate Anke Wischnewski, for the time being still in the shadow of Huefner and Geisenberger, hopes to finally collect her third medal after 2007 (Worlds/silver) and 2005 (Worlds/bronze).
In contrast, junior World champion Carina Schwab (GER) is everything but stressed. “When the season kicked-off I’ve never reckoned with a place on the World Cup team. And now I’m very happy that I’ll be competing at the Worlds”, explained the niece of the German Sports Director Thomas Schwab. But then, asked about the medal chances of her team-mates Huefner, Geisenberger and Wischnewski, she boldly added: “Let the others get to work – I intend to chill-out.”
