Felix Loch and Kendija Aparjode lead at the halfway point in the singles
9th EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup 2026
Altenberg (FIL/08 Mar 2026) Even before the final race of the season in the EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup, Felix Loch was already confirmed as the overall winner. This is because both Jonas Müller (Austria) and Olympic champion Max Langenhan (Germany) decided not to compete in Altenberg. Müller because he does not feel comfortable on the track, and Langenhan because he is still suffering from neck pain that has been plaguing him since the night before the Olympic races. For Loch, this is his eighth crystal globe as overall World Cup winner. This brings the German even closer to Armin Zöggeler (Italy) and Markus Prock (Austria), who have both been the best at the end of the season ten times. With 56 World Cup victories (excluding mixed events), Loch is now just one win behind leader Zöggeler.
At the halfway point of the last race of the 2025/26 season, at the SachsenEnergie Eiskanal Altenberg, Felix Loch leads the men's race with a track record of 53.071 seconds. The German record world champion took the lead with an almost perfect run. In second place is Italy's Dominik Fischnaller, 0.242 seconds behind, closely followed by Austria's David Gleirscher (+0.252). Wolfgang Kindl (+0.406) and Leon Felderer (+0.409) are also still within striking distance, promising an exciting final battle for the day's victory in the second run.
In the women's event, Julia Taubitz has the best chance of winning her sixth crystal globe, her fifth in a row. After the first run, the Olympic champion is in third place (+0.035 behind) in an extremely close field. Kendija Aparjode from Latvia is in a razor-thin lead with a time of 52.034 seconds. Just 0.002 seconds behind in second place is Germany's Merle Fräbel. Altenberg World Champion Lisa Schulte from Austria (+0.112) is in fourth place, and both local hero Melina Fischer and her teammate Anna Berreiter (+0.417) still have a chance of a top placing before the second run.
The second run for the men will start on Sunday (March 8) at 10:35 a.m., and the women's run at 11:40 a.m. The 2025/26 season will then come to an end with the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW at 1:20 p.m.
