Berchtesgaden (RWH) It looks as though a lot of new faces can be expected on the winner’s podium in the men’s singles in the forthcoming Viessmann World Cup season. Italy’s Armin Zöggeler (57 victories), Russia’s Albert Demchenko (15 victories) and Germany’s David Möller (10 victories), a trio that won almost every third World Cup since the sport debuted in the winter of 1977-1978, have all ended their careers. Armin Zöggeler, who also holds the highest number of overall victories together with Austria’s Markus Prock (10 each), made a total of 117 Viessmann World Cup podium appearances during his career. Even the two-time Olympic Champion in the men’s singles, Felix Loch of Germany, is still far from achieving record figures like these, but the 25-year-old, who also collected gold in the team relay at Sochi 2014, has already taken three overall Viessmann World Cup trophies and has 18 individual victories to his name. And the defending titleholder goes into the post-Olympic winter as the hot favorite. “At last the season is about to start,” said Loch, whose third overall victory (2013-2014 after 2011-2012 and 2012-2013) took him past his mentor on the list of winners: three-time Olympic Champion Georg Hackl came overall first twice (1988-1989 and 1989-1990). The time since the Games had been full of “accolades, appointments and sponsorship appearances”, but preparations for the season went well. “I’m looking forward to the forthcoming winter,” Loch added. The winner of the last three seasons looks to have some strong competition in Dominik Fischnaller, a luger seen at home in Italy as a potential successor to Zöggeler. In the Olympic season the 21-year-old won the opening race in Lillehammer (NOR), took third in the overall rankings behind Loch and Zöggeler, and was sixth in the Winter Olympics. Loch also has an adversary from among the ranks of his fellow Germans in the person of Andi Langenhan. As with the Vancouver Olympics, where he came fifth, the 2012 European Champion also left Sochi four years later without a medal, but close to it with a fourth. Like his fellow Thuringian Johannes Ludwig, the 30-year-old will be trying his luck again in the post-Olympic winter. Following in the great footsteps of Albert Demchenko, who has now turned to coaching, are Semen Pavlichenko and Alexandr Peretjagin, two Russian lugers whose fifth and seventh placings in the Olympic races caused a stir. Austria’s hopefuls are Reinhard Egger (eighth at Sochi 2014) and Wolfgang Kindl (ninth at Sochi), while Canada’s hopes are centered on the seasoned Sam Edney. Last season, Chris Mazdzer claimed two World Cup silver medals, and just missed bringing home the first win for the USA in a men’s singles Viessmann World Cup in 17 years. The last victory for the USA went to Wendel Suckow in the pre-Olympic test in Nagano (JAP) in 1997.