Austria Sets the Stage: 22 Athletes Head to Lillehammer for Season Preparation

The Austrian luge squad is heading into the final phase of its pre-season preparation, with 22 athletes nominated for the opening ice training block starting October 5 in Lillehammer – on the same track that hosted the 1994 Olympic Games.

After seven training days in Norway, the team moves on to Sigulda in Latvia, followed by Innsbruck-Igls, where the squad will also take part in the track homologation from October 23–26. Further training blocks are planned in Cortina, Oberhof, Altenberg and Winterberg. If conditions allow, the team aims to complete 34 training days before the World Cup opener in Winterberg at the end of November.

The season's undisputed highlight is the World Championships in Innsbruck-Igls in February – a historic double event combining artificial track and alpine luge at the same venue for the first time.

The squad includes some notable stories. Madeleine Egle returns to training with the team after completing a 20-month suspension, while juniors Paul Socher – silver medalist at the Winter Youth Olympic Games – and doubles pair Johannes Scharnagl/Moritz Schiegl step up to train alongside the senior athletes. Noah Kallan, who suffered a syndesmosis tear and ankle fracture six weeks ago, is back on track in time for the start of the season.

The men's singles squad will test itself against established names David and Nico Gleirscher and Wolfgang Kindl. In women's singles, Lisa Schulte, Hannah Prock, Dorothea Schwarz and Barbara Allmaier join Egle in chasing World Cup starts. In women's doubles, Olympic bronze medalists Selina Egle and Lara Kipp lead the way, while Lina Riedl and Anna Lerch will contest their first complete World Cup season. Men's doubles features the experienced pairings of Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl, Juri Gatt/Riccardo Schöpf and Yannick Müller/Armin Frauscher.

Head coach Christian Eigentler, in his fourth season leading the program, acknowledges the challenge ahead: "We've been working intensively since Easter on athletic preparation and have completed the development of our new standardized sleds. Now we have seven weeks where both athletes and equipment face the ultimate test."

An internal qualification ranking – running from the first training day in Lillehammer through the Austrian Championships, four World Cup events and the international training week in Igls in late January – will determine World Championship nominations, ensuring a transparent and competitive selection process.

Austria National Team 2026/27 – Artificial Track

Women's Singles
Hannah Prock · Lisa Schulte · Madeleine Egle · Dorothea Schwarz · Barbara Allmaier

Men's Singles
David Gleirscher · Wolfgang Kindl · Nico Gleirscher · Fabio Zauser · Noah Kallan · Paul Socher

Women's Doubles
Selina Egle / Lara Kipp · Lina Riedl / Anna Lerch

Men's Doubles
Thomas Steu / Wolfgang Kindl · Yannick Müller / Armin Frauscher · Juri Gatt / Riccardo Schöpf · Johannes Scharnagl / Moritz Schiegl