The FIL Luge World Cup on Natural Track is a tight battle. World Champion Alex Gruber (ITA) celebrated his first win of the season in the Passeier Valley (ITA). In the women's race, Evelin Lanthaler from Passeir took the victory. Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara (ITA) won the pursuit in the doubles.

After the first run Alex Gruber and Thomas Kammerlander (AUT) were simultaneously in first place on the 870-meter long Bergkristall-track, followed by Patrick Pigneter (ITA) and the winner of the opening race in Winterleiten (AUT), Michael Scheikl (AUT). In the thrilling second run Gruber set an absolute best time and clearly took the lead with 1:48.12 minutes and put Kammerlander under pressure. The overall World Cup winner of the past three years had to admit defeat by only 0.27 seconds. Pigneter (+0.57) finished on third place ahead of Scheikl (+0.74).
“It was extremely exciting, we knew it was going to be thight, nobody was allowed to make a mistake. In the second run I still had reserves in the upper part of the course and I was able to take a lot of speed to the finish from the S-section, ”analyzed Gruber.

(from left to right) Kammerlander, Gruber, Pigneter

After two races Michael Scheikl and Alex Gruber are leading the overall standings with 160 points each, ahead of Patrick Pigneter and Thomas Kammerlander with 155 points each.

Local hero Evelin Lanthaler is still unbeaten in the FIL Luge World Cup on Natural Track. One week after her victory in Winterleiten (AUT) the reigning World Champion also took the victory on her home race in Passeier (ITA). With the best time in both runs Lanthaler took her tenth World Cup victory in a row in 1:50.55 minutes, ahead of the two Austrians Tina Unterberger (+1.00 seconds) and Michelle Diepold (+1.46), who after exactly two years (St. Sebastian 2018) is back on the podium. Greta Pinggera (ITA), in second place after the first run, was pushed to fourth place by just 0.01 seconds.

(left to right) Unterberger, Lanthaler, Diepold

“At the beginning of my career I didn’t like to compete here in Passeier. It was a lot of pressure for me. Now I am always looking forward to my home World Cup, I'm enjoying the races here. I can't say how many times I've ridden the Bergkristall-track, at least far too often, ”joked Lanthaler after the race.

In the afternoon the pursuit for the doubles was on the program. The four teams Aleksandr Egorov/Petr Popov (RUS), Patrick Lambacher/Matthias Lambacher (ITA), Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara (ITA) and Fabian Achenrainer/Simon Achenrainer (AUT) who had the best time from the knockout duels were qualifyed for the finals. In the final run the experienced Pigneter/Clara set an absolute best time in 56.53 seconds, with Lambacher/Lambacher in second place just 0.54 seconds behind, third place for Achenrainer/Achenrainer. For the 19 and 15 years old cousins it is the first podium in their career.

(left to right) Lambacher/Lambacher, Pigneter/Clara, Achenrainer/Achenrainer

"A new format often brings surprises, compliments to Achenrainer/Achenrainer for the podium and to the great battle," said Patrick Pigneter. His partner Florian Clara agreed: “Achenrainer/Achenrainer were really competitive, that's amazing about sport. Such pursuers are a cool thing, I hope there will be more of them in future. ”

On Sunday the FIL Luge World Cup on Natural Track continues in the Passeier Valley with the pursuit race of the single men and women.