Oberhof (pps) Natalie Geisenberger of Germany is ahead of her first “match ball“ to take the overall World Cup title; her compatriots Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt are more or less uncatchable at the top of the doubles standings and teammate Felix Loch started the Olympic year with an impressive display of domination. The seventh stop of the Viessmann Luge World Cup series this weekend in Oberhof, Germany (January 11-12, 2014) will be decisive in the women’s and men’s singles as well as the doubles event.
In Thuringia, World Champion Geisenberger – still undefeated in the Olympic winter – might well make a successful title defense perfect. With a leading margin of 199 points over Alex Gough, the 25-year-old only needs to finish ahead of the Canadian luger at the Oberhof World Cup to win the Joska Crystal Cup for the overall Viessmann Luge World Cup winner. It would be her second overall title after the 2012-2013 season.
“She’s a head taller than me. This is why she’s got the better leverage at the start and she’s very fast in the track,” described Gough of the advantages of the German athlete. By the way, Geisenberger’s string of successes with six successive victories is not a first in the Viessmann Luge World Cup. Tatjana Huefner of Germany, five-time overall World Cup winner, earned seven victories in a row in the 2007-2008 season. And “across the season” in 2008-2009, the 2010 Olympic Champion even claimed nine top podium finishes in the Viessmann Luge World Cup series.
“Well, every series has to end one day - as did mine,” said Huefner, who showed an upward trend with her second place finish in Koenigssee. “I’m getting back to speed. That was missing last winter. But now the speed is back,” Huefner explained. Additionally, the track in Oberhof is Huefner’s favorite. Ten years ago the star of the then 21-year-old was on the rise when she claimed the European silver medal. Until now Huefner earned three additional silver medals at Europeans, four World Championship titles and the silver medal at the 2013 Worlds, the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Games, a bronze at the 2006 Games in Turin. So far, Huefner has collected a total of 11 individual medals and she hopes to make it a full dozen at the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi.
Loch, for his part, has claimed eight medals at Olympic Games, World and European Championships. On his home track in Koenigssee, the 2010 Olympic Champion reasserted his sovereignty of the last season, when only his own mistakes prevented him from claiming even more victories. “It’s great to win in front of a home crowd. Especially if you have to wait two years to do so,” explained Loch, who is leading the overall standings with 485 points to his credit ahead of “veteran” Armin Zoeggeler (421) of Italy and his compatriot Dominik Fischnaller (415).
After five victories in six Viessmann Luge World Cup events the leading margin (140 points) of Germany’s Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt is even bigger. At the 2013 Europeans in Oberhof, however, the two lugers from Bavaria were defeated by teammates Toni Eggert-Sascha Benecken. It was one of just two defeats that Wendl-Arlt suffered in the pre-Olympic season.
