46th World Cup victory for Olympic Champion Natalie Geisenberger

Whistler (RWH): Olympic Champion Natalie Geisenberger remains the undisputed number one in the Ladies' luge. The six-time overall winner of the Viessman World Cup scored a victory on the 2010 Olympic track in the Canadian city of Whistler, her third win in the post-Olympic winter season. With the 46th success of her career, the three-time World Champion from Germany relegated her team mate, Julia Taubitz, to second place - just as she did during the season opener in Innsbruck-Igls. The American Emily Sweeney surprised spectators by taking third place in her comeback performance, following a fall nine months ago at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang (KOR).

In glorious sunshine, the Russian Ekaterina Baturina kicked off proceedings with a new track record (38.746 seconds), only to be beaten by a time of 38.616 seconds from Emily Sweeney, the 2013 Junior World Champion. Julia Taubitz (38.601) upped the ante even further, with Natalie Geisenberger then improving on the record time once again in 38.510 seconds. The race for the record was brought to its final conclusion by Natalie Geisenberger, achieving a time of 38.394 seconds in the second round. The old record of 38.796 seconds was held by Alex Gough, who will officially retire from the sport at the next Viessmann World Cup in her home town of Calgary.

In the overall rankings of the Viessmann World Cup, Geisenberger leads with a maximum of 300 points, ahead of Taubitz (255) and the Russian Tatyana Ivanova (160), who came in sixth in Whistler behind Tatjana Hüfner (GER) and Eliza Cauce (LAT) after they both achieved the same time.

Quotes

Natalie Geisenberger (GER / 2014 and 2018 Olympic Champion)

"It was awesome to luge in this weather. I've had a great time on the track here the whole week. The runs have been good right from the start. Because of my injuries, this summer was the hardest I've ever experienced. That really gets you thinking. The fact that it's going so well is a surprise to me, too."

Julia Taubitz (GER / 2016 Junior World Champion)

"I think the whole package is working for me right now. The sled is great, the start is running smoothly and the actual runs, too. My private life is also going well. I think the sum of all these factors is what makes the difference."

Emily Sweeney (USA / 2013 Junior World Champion)

"It was my first race after my fall at the Olympics. I had a few tears in my eyes at the end, not because I'd hit anything - I was just overwhelmed. This year was really tough for me. I'm still suffering with some neck and back problems. Nevertheless, this result means that I've already achieved my goal for the season, namely World Cup qualification."