Dorothea Schwarz, David Noessler, Riedl/Lerch, and Chmielewski/Gancarczyk were the fastest at the Nations Cup opener in Winterberg

Winterberg (FIL/05 Dec 2025) On Friday, December 5, 2025, the first FIL Nations Cup of the 2025/2026 Olympic season took place at the VELTINS EisArena Winterberg. The fastest luge athletes were Dorothea Schwarz, David Noessler, Riedl/Lerch, and Chmielewski/Gancarczyk at the VELTINS EisArena.

Men's singles: David Noessler triumphs

David Noessler (GER) won the men's singles in convincing fashion with a time of 51.402 seconds. Valentin Cretu (ROU) followed in second place, +0.150 seconds behind, while Andriy Mandziy (UKR) took third place, +0.244 seconds behind.

"That was a pretty solid run today. Yesterday during training, the conditions were very difficult. That's why I wasn't sure about today's race. But the track was really good and the ice was fast. I'm happy with my start time and my run. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's race,“ said winner Noessler. Runner-up Valentin Cretu was also happy: ”I'm very satisfied. Training went really well and today at the Nations Cup my run was really good. Now I just have to do the same twice tomorrow in the individual World Cup. Then I'll be very happy here in Winterberg.“

Women's singles: Dorothea Schwarz wins

In an exciting race, Dorothea Schwarz took the win in 55.364 seconds. The Austrian summed up: ”It's a shame that we don't have the World Cup opener at home in Igls. But since we're already in Winterberg, it's nice to start with a Nations Cup victory. The run was okay. I want to improve a few things for the World Cup race. There's still something to change," said the winner. Latvia's Elina Bota finished second in 55.389 seconds, ahead of Melina Fischer (55.574) from Germany.

Men's doubles: Poland's Chmielewski/Gancarczyk impress

Wojciech Chmielewski and Michal Gancarczyk are sledding together for the first time this season. The two Poles impressed with a victory in their very first Nations Cup. With a time of 42.998 seconds, they secured the gold medal ahead of Slovakia and Germany. “We are very happy with the best time here in Winterberg. And it's my best time here ever. It's great to start so successfully with Michal as a new doubles team,” said Wojciech Chmielewski.

Women's doubles: Riedl/Lerch impress

Lina Riedl and Anna Lerch secured first place with the fastest final time of 43.657 seconds from the doubles start and a top speed of 125.47 km/h. “The victory is really cool. We didn't expect that at all,” said Riedl. And her rear woman Lerch added: “The run was quite good. Hopefully we can show a few improvements at the start and in the lower section tomorrow. But we are quite happy with the result.”

The Latvian duo Anda Upite/Madara Pavlova followed in second place (+0.331) and the Canadians Beattie Podulsky/Kailey Allan took third place (+0.479) with the fastest start time in the women's doubles and after a consistent run, while the Slovakians Viktoria Praxova/Desana Spitzova took fourth place with +0.980.

1st EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Winterberg (GER)

The mixed event competitions are already scheduled for Friday afternoon, followed by the men's singles and the women's and men's doubles on Saturday, with the women's singles and team relay concluding on Sunday.

The luge world is eagerly awaiting the 1st EBERSPÄCHER World Cup of the 2026 Olympic season at the VELTINS EisArena Winterberg.

Detailed results and further information are available at the following links: fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-45

Schedule & TV broadcasts
1st EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup Winterberg (GER)
Local start time (=CET/MEZ)

Friday, December 5, 2025

4:15 p.m. Mixed World Cup doubles
5:30 p.m. Mixed World Cup singles

Saturday, December 6, 2025

10:25 a.m. Men's singles, 1st run
11:55 a.m. Men's singles, 2nd run
1:10 p.m. Men's doubles, 1st run
2:00 p.m. Women's doubles, 1st run

3:05 p.m. Men's doubles, 2nd run
3:45 p.m. Women's doubles, 2nd run

Sunday, December 7, 2025

10:35 a.m. Women's singles, 1st run
12:15 p.m. Women's singles, 2nd run

1:50 p.m. Team relay

All information is subject to change!