“Acid test” in Latvia for the undefeated doubles team of Wendl-Arlt
Sigulda (pps) Germany’s Felix Loch is currently on a trip into the past: after the third stop of the Viessmann Luge World Cup in Altenberg, where the Olympic Champion claimed his third World Championship title in February 2012 and his second season victory last weekend, the artificially iced track in Sigulda, Latvia, will host the next World Cup event on December 15-16, 2012.
It was in the Baltic state that the 23-year old sealed his first overall World Cup victory last winter. “Well, Sigulda is almost one of my favorite tracks,” Loch commented last year. Twenty-two years after the success of Georg Hackl in the 1989-1990 season, Loch was the first German to claim the overall World Cup title again. He is currently leading the overall rankings with 285 points to his credit, followed by teammates Andi Langenhan (245), David Moeller (197) and Johannes Ludwig (182).
German women’s lugers are setting the pace in the Viessmann Luge World Cup series, too. Natalie Geisenberger (285 points) is heading the rankings ahead of Anke Wischnewski (245) as well as Tatjana Huefner and Canadian Alex Gough who are tied for third place, both with 200 points. Huefner however, the defending World Cup Champion, Olympic and four-time World Champion, is still waiting for her first success this winter. “I know the reasons why,” the 29-year old said. Last year, Huefner had to make do with a 10th place in Sigulda.
Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt of Germany are currently collecting one victory after the other. After three stops of the Viessmann Luge World Cup series they are still undefeated. But the demanding artificially iced track in Sigulda will be a kind of “acid test” for the German doubles team. Their best result so far in Sigulda is a third place in 2011. At the 2010 European Championships - they failed to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Games – the duo claimed a silver medal. The gold medal went to Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger of Austria. Thanks to their 2003 World Championship title as well as three World Cup victories, the Austrian brothers enjoy a reputation as “Sigulda experts”.
The third of six Team Relay events will be carried out at the World Cup in Sigulda. It comes as no surprise that Germany is still undefeated. But a total of five nations have earned podium finishes: apart from Germany these were Austria, Canada, Italy and Russia.
