Koenigssee (pps) The final of the Krombacher Challenge Cup promises at lot of suspense at the artificially-iced track at Koenigssee, Germany, next Friday (January 30, 2004). Only Germany’s Olympic champion Sylke Otto will compete in the fourth and last race with a comfortable lead of 30 points in the women’s event. While Italy’s doubles, Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder, lead by 25 points, there are three athletes in the men’s event within ten points.

Austria’s Markus Kleinheinz is the current leader with 201 points, followed by US-American Tony Benshoof (200) and Germany’s three-time Olympic champion Georg Hackl (191) who will be particularly motivated on his home-track after his recent World Cup victories at Winterberg, Germany, and Innsbruck-Igls, Austria. Theoretically, Germany’s David Moeller (170) and Italy’s newly-crowned 2004 World Cup champion Armin Zoeggeler (155) in fourth and fifth place respectively will also still have a chance for the overall victory.

In the doubles, even the first six-placed still have a chance for overall victory. There are 85 points between Plankensteiner-Haselrieder, who are the only athletes to have reached the final in all three Krombacher Challenge Cups so far, and the former World champions Andre Florschuetz-Torsten Wustlich.