Winterberg, Germany (pps) Last weekend they both equalled record World Cup winner Markus Prock at the Viessmann Luge World Cup at Igls, Austria, by achieving their 33rd World Cup victory in their careers, now Germany’s Sylke Otto and Georg Hackl can make even greater impact: Nobody has won as often at Winterberg, Germany, as those two.

On the artificially-iced Winterberg track Hackl not only celebrated his first ever World Cup victory in the 1987-88 season, but also gained his first ever World title in 1989. The three-time Olympic champion (1992, 1994, 1998) is also a three-time World champion (1989, 1990, 1997).

Hackl won no fewer than nine of the 16 World Cup events held at Winterberg since 1978- 79. Next weekend there may well be his tenth victory to celebrate.

Sylke Otto is heading the list of women’s winners at Winterberg with six victories. Since the winter of 1998-99, when Silke Kraushaar won the World Cup event, the 2002 Olympic champion has remained undefeated at Winterberg. And in addition to the World Cup competitions in 2002, 2003 and 2004 she also grabbed the 2000 European title on the Winterberg track. No World Cup events were carried out at Winterberg in 2000-2001. The Viessmann Luge World Cup at Winterberg – the eighth and last event before the final on the 2006 Olympic track at Cesana Pariol, Italy, on February 5-6 - holds additional suspense because Sylke Otto and Georg Hackl have the opportunity to overtake Markus Prock and set a new record. There is also a lot of excitement concerning the overall rankings of the World Cup – no decision whatsoever has yet been taken in any of the three disciplines.

Germany’s Barbara Niedernhuber (576 points) is leading the women’s competition after seven of altogether nine events followed by fellow-Germans Silke Kraushaar (541) and Sylke Otto (441). “The overall World Cup title is slowly getting a realistic goal”, 30-yearold Niedernhuber said. German women are undefeated in 55 successive Viessmann Luge World Cup races since 1997.

André Florschuetz-Torsten Wustlich are heading the doubles rankings with 510 points ahead of Italy’s Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber (491 points).

Russia’s Albert Demchenko is in top spot in the men’s rankings with 529 points followed by Austria’s Markus Kleinheinz (453) and Germany’s reigning World champion David Moeller (441), who forfeited any chance for winning the overall World Cup by crashing in the second heat at Igls. Georg Hackl (416) is in fifth position behind American Tony Benshoof (419), although the three-time Olympic champion was forced to withdraw from the event at Lake Placid due to his ankle injury.