Dajana Eitberger and David Nössler win at the FIL Cup in Ilmenau
Ilmenau (FIL/09 June 2024) On June 7 and 8, the 31st International FIL Summer Cup 2024 took place in Ilmenau. Top international athletes and young talents from Austria, Italy, Germany and Slovakia took to the summer luge run at Lindenberg on wheel-sleds.
The two local heroes Dajana Eitberger and David Nössler were the fastest. Both Thuringians won the 31st FIL Summer Luge Cup 2024 in Ilmenau. While it was Nössler's first victory in Ilmenau, Eitberger entered the list of winners for the 13th time as a record winner.
David Nössler from RSV Schmalkalden beat the two doubles specialists Paul Gubitz (Zella-Mehlis) and Max Ewald (Suhl) to the podium places on the 430-meter summer luge track with eight curves and a gradient of up to 12 percent. The winner of the Youth Olympic Winter Games 2024, youth A slider Leon Haselrieder (Italy), came sixth in the men's event. Stefan Doktor from Slovakia came on eighth rank.
The women's event was won by Dajana Eitberger, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, who competes for the local club RC Ilmenau. U23 World Champion Merle Fräbel (Suhl) came second, ahead of junior Elisa-Marie Storch (Suhl). The best Austrian woman was the youth A luger Lina Riedl in seventh place.
The 25-year-old Luge World Champion Max Langenhan from Friedrichroda had won in Ilmenau in the two previous years. He was not at the start in 2024 due to conflicting appointments, as was Sprint World Champion Julia Taubitz.
In the youth A class, the athletes from Austria and Italy dominated. Marie Riedl (AUT) won ahead of Katharina Kofler and Alexandra Oberstolz (both Italy). In the youth A male class, the luge athletes from Austria achieved a five-fold success with Paul Socher, Johannes Scharnagl, Andreas Mair, Moritz Achmüller and Mateusz Labenz. The best German starter was Anton Krügerke in sixth place.
On Friday, June 7, the 31st International FIL Summer Cup was officially opened. The free training and the qualification runs for Saturday, June 8, also took place. On Saturday, the luge elite then started at 11 a.m. for three race runs.
As always, the sporting highlight was accompanied by a varied supporting program for visitors of all ages. The autograph session with the luge stars is particularly popular. The dedicated helpers from the Ilmenau Luge Club provided food and drink in the form of Thuringian barbecue delicacies and chilled drinks, accompanied by music and a great atmosphere.
On Sunday, June 9, the Ilmenau Luge Club held a children's session. All children aged 5 and over who wanted to try out luge for themselves and test out the summer luge track with wheel-sleds were invited. There was a great deal of interest and the club's experienced luge coaches had their hands full.
The history of the event
The Summer Luge Cup in Ilmenau was first held in 1990 as the “Wolfram Fiedler Memorial Race”. Since 1992, the competition, which is organized by many regional companies and private friends of the sport, has been advertised as an international race for youth A, juniors and the general class, and has been established as the FIL Summer Luge Cup in the calendar of the International Luge Federation, FIL, since 1994. The event is organized by the team of the Rodelclub Ilmenau e. V. and the Thuringian Sled and Bobsleigh Association (TSBV). In 2017 and 2018, a live stream of the event was offered.
In 2004 and 2007, new competition modes were introduced that make the race even more exciting. This gives young people the opportunity to compete with the famous athletes of the sport of luge. In the qualification runs on the first day, the starting numbers for the A and B races are determined. The women and female juniors as well as the men and male juniors will start in one ranking. In the so-called “replacement race”, the best athletes of the B race can qualify for the A race in a knockout competition. In addition to the professional luge athletes, local political celebrities also dare to take part in the “Celebrity Cup”. The FIL Summer Luge Cup was traditionally held on the first weekend in September on the luge track in Ilmenau. In the year 2024, it took place in June for the first time.
Photos: Sven Schmutzler
