42nd FIL Summer Cup in Zwickau

Zwickau (FIL/13 May 2024) From May 9 to 12, 2024, ESV Lokomotive Zwickau e. V. hosted the 42nd International FIL Summer Cup in luge in Zwickau, Saxony (GER). The venue was once again the plastic luge track in the Westsachsenstadion in Zwickau.

Exciting races on wheel-sleds with 83 active and former luge athletes from four nations (Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, and Poland) took place in sunshine and 20 degrees Celsius. In addition to the competitions for female and male singles in the Youth C, B, A, Junior, General and Senior classes, there was also a start competition and a FUN relay as a team competition.

Active and former lugers took part in the traditionally very popular event. Josephine Meitzner (Altenberg) won the women's event in 46.780 seconds after two runs, ahead of Melina Fischer (Zwickau/46.801) and Isabell Richter (Zwickau/47.065). Lisa Zimmermann from Austria finished fourth in 47.218 seconds, tied with Lina-Malin Schmid from Oberwiesenthal. As in the previous year, local hero Chris Eißler won the men's general class in 46.044 seconds ahead of Toni Eggert's new doubles partner Florian Müller (Oberwiesenthal/46.01) and Pascal Kunze (Zwickau/46.195).

Many celebrities competed in the senior category. The women's class was won in her hometown by 2011 Bobsleigh World Champion Cathleen Martini. Martini once started out as a luge athlete and then made a career as a bobsleigh pilot. The seventh-placed athlete at the 2014 Sochi Olympics won four European Championship gold medals, was twice runner-up at the World Championships and twice came third at the World Championships.

Poland's Przemyslaw Pochold was the fastest of the 14 senior men (46.807) ahead of 1989 Vice World Champion and long-time Austrian head coach René Friedl (46.940).

The largest fields of participants, with 26 young men and 15 women, were in the Youth A racing class. Local hero Liron Raimer (46.590) was the fastest ahead of Austrians Paul Socher (46.699) and Johannes Scharnagel (46.773). The young lugers from Poland lined up in fourth to eighth place. Marie Riedl from Austria won the women's youth A category (46.907) ahead of her teammate Lina Bleiner (46.918) and Lilly-Michelle Laukner from Oberwiesenthal (46.956).

Culinary delights and an extensive supporting program delighted spectators as well as young and old lugers alike last weekend.

To the results: fil-luge.org/en/multimedia/fil-summercup-zwickau

Photos: Sven Schmutzler