Innsbruck-Igls (pps) The organisers of the second Viessmann Luge World Cup to take place in Innsbruck-Igls are drumming up interest for this event as never before. Innumerable large-format posters were put up everywhere in the Olympic city of 1964 and 1976. “Usually, we put such a great effort in the Four Hills ski jumping tournament”, said Austria’s luge idol Markus Prock, with his ten overall victories still record winner in the Viessmann Luge World Cup.
In Calgary, Canada, Prock’s successors then drummed up interest for “their” event: Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler, record winner in the men’s events who celebrated his 46th individual victory in the Viessmann Luge World
Cup; Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch improved their record to now 33 wins in the double-seater. And Germany’s Tatjana Huefner celebrated her 17th victory in the Viessmann Luge World Cup at the Canada Olympic Park. She currently holds third place - as far as individual victories are concerned
- behind Germany’s Sylke Otto (37 victories) and Silke Kraushaar-Pielach (36), who have both ended their active career.
Due to the great interest – instead of the original 120 sleds more than 180 sleds were finally entered – the training in Innsbruck-Igls had to be reduced. However, five training runs per starter are guaranteed. Reason for the great interest are, apart from being a qualifying event for the Olympic Games, the FIL Luge Junior World Championships, to be carried out in Innsbruck-Igls in the 2009-2010 season. This is why many nations are exhausting their full quota so that their young luge talents will get a chance to train on the track prior to the Junior Worlds.
Prior to their „home event“ Austria’s lugers showed a convincing performance in Calgary. The only thing missing was a podium finish. With his seventh place Reinhard Egger celebrated a successful debut, Nina Reithmayer earned a fifth place behind the four German lugers and thus already met half of the Olympic qualifying criteria. In the double-seater the teams with Linger-Linger, Schiegl-Schiegl and Penz-Fischler took fourth, fifth and sixth place and with this good performance their coach will have difficulties with regard to the Olympic nomination.
Huefner, Langenhan and Plankensteiner-Haselrieder last year’s winners
Innsbruck-Igls (pps) For the 28th time the Olympic track of 1964 and 1976 in Innsbruck-Igls will be venue of a Viessmann Luge World Cup. Last winter, the artificially-iced track at the foot of the Patscherkofel Mountain saw the victories of Germany’s Andi Langenhan and Tatjana Huefner in the singles event. The team with Italy’s Oswald Haselrieder-Gerhard Plankensteiner won the doubles’ event.
