Victories in the 9th FIL Nations Cup in Altenberg go to Tove Kohala, Leon Felderer, and Martsinovskyi/Babura

Overall winners of the 2025/2026 Nations Cup are Zane Kaluma, Andriy Mandziy, Falkensteiner/Huber, and Martsinovskyi/Babura

Altenberg (FIL/March 6, 2026) Tove Kohala (Sweden), Leon Felderer (Italy), and Danyil Martsinovskyi/Bohan Babura (Ukraine) won the ninth and final FIL Nations Cup on Friday, March 5, 2026, at the SachsenEngerie Eisakanal Altenberg.

Men's singles: Felderer wins with track record

In the men's Nations Cup, Leon Felderer (ITA) won convincingly with a strong run and a brilliant track record of 53.152 seconds. The South Tyrolean was already the fastest at the start and defended his lead right to the finish line at the SachsenEnergie Ice Channel. “It's a lot of fun to race in these conditions and set a track record, even if it's only until tomorrow. It definitely feels great to end the season this way,” said winner Felderer.

In second place was Andriy Mandziy (UKR), who also broke the previous record with a time of 53.360 seconds, finishing just 0.208 seconds behind Felderer. The track record was set in 2017 and stood at 53.452 seconds. Third place went to Jozef Ninis (SVK) in 53.466 seconds, who managed to push his way onto the podium after a cautious start.

Women's singles: First Nations Cup victory for Kohala

Tove Kohala (SWE) achieved a first in the Women's Nations Cup. The Swede celebrated her first Nations Cup victory in 52.092 seconds, putting her on the podium for the first time in this series. Kohala pulled away decisively in the lower section of the track and narrowly beat the competition. “I just wanted to have fun sledding at the end of the season, and I definitely succeeded. Today, I achieved my first Nations Cup podium finish, and it was a victory. I'm very happy. It feels like I've almost always come in fourth so far,” said winner Kohala. Anka Jaenicke (GER) took second place in 52.130 seconds, just 0.038 seconds behind the winner. Third place went to her teammate Antonia Pietschmann (GER) with a time of 52.192 seconds, 0.100 seconds behind.

Men's doubles: First Nations Cup victory for Ukrainian duo

In the Nations Cup for men's doubles, Danyil Martsinovskyi and Bohdan Babura (UKR) won convincingly in 42.048 seconds, celebrating their first Nations Cup victory. The Ukrainian duo, who are competing together in the doubles for the first time this season, finished 0.150 seconds ahead of junior world champions Louis Gruenbeck/Maximilian Kührt (GER). Third place went to Vasile Marian Gitlan/Darius-Lucian Serban (ROU), who finished 0.552 seconds behind.

For the Ukrainians, this success also means overall victory in the 2025/2026 Nations Cup. Martsinovskyi and Babura had already demonstrated their strong form in recent weeks: they finished second in the Nations Cup in St. Moritz and third in Oberhof.

“We are incredibly happy about this victory,” said Danyil Martsinovskyi after the race. “It's our first season together in the doubles, and winning our first Nations Cup here in Altenberg and clinching the overall title at the same time means a lot to us.” The team's progress in recent weeks, with third place in Oberhof, second place in St. Moritz, and now victory, shows that they are coming together better and better.

There was no Nations Cup in the women's doubles in Altenberg, as all teams in the seeded group are eligible to compete in the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup on Saturday, March 7. In the women's doubles, Nadia Falkensteiner and Annalena Huber (ITA) secured overall victory in the Nations Cup for the 2025/2026 season. The Italian duo collected 255 points in three races, putting them ahead of Marta Robezniece / Kitija Bogdanova (LAT, 185 points) and Viktoria Praxova / Desana Spitzova (SVK, 175 points).

Overall winners in the FIL Nations Cup 2025/2026 singles

After nine races in North America and Europe, the overall winners in the FIL Nations Cup singles for the 2025/2026 season have also been determined. In the men's singles, Andriy Mandziy (UKR) won convincingly with 511 points, relegating Jozef Ninis (SVK, 431 points) and Noah Kallan (AUT, 430 points) to second and third place.

In the women's singles, Zane Kaluma (LAT) won the overall Nations Cup standings with 445 points. Anka Jaenicke (GER, 403 points) followed in second place, while Caitlin Nash (CAN, 370 points) took third place.

The Nations Cup serves as a qualifying race for the main races in the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup and offers young athletes and those returning to the World Cup in particular important competition opportunities at the highest international level.

This weekend, the SachsenEnergie Ice Channel will host the World Cup races for singles, doubles, and the final EBERSPAECHER Team Relay presented by BMW.

An overview of the overall Nations Cup and World Cup standings can be found here World Cup overall standings - Luge

World Cup races follow on Saturday and Sunday

The Nations Cup traditionally serves as qualification for the World Cup. This weekend, the 9th and final EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup will take place at the SachsenEnergie Ice Channel in Altenberg, where the final World Cup points will be awarded.

Schedule for the 9th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup Final, Altenberg (GER)
Local start time (=CET/MEZ)

Saturday, March 7, 2026

8:50 a.m. Men's doubles, 1st run
10:00 a.m. Men's doubles, 2nd run

11:15 a.m. Men's singles, 1st run
12:40 p.m. Women's singles, 1st run

2:10 p.m. Women's doubles, 1st run
3:05 p.m. Women's doubles, 2nd run

Sunday, March 8, 2026

10:35 a.m. Men's singles, 2nd run
11:40 a.m. Women's singles, 2nd run

1:20 p.m. Team relay

All information is subject to change!