The 24th FIL World Championships in Natural Track Luge, relocated from Vatra Dornei (ROU) to Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (ITA), became one big party for the hosts. On Sunday, Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) and Alex Gruber (ITA) won the gold medal in the singles event, and the “Azzurri” also defended their title in the team event. With the World Championship title in doubles on Saturday with Patrick Lambacher/Matthias Lambacher (ITA), all gold medals went to Italy.
Alex Gruber (ITA) celebrating his 3rd World Champion title
Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (FIL/12.02.2023) The starting position in the men's singles after the first run on Saturday promised high tension, and the four athletes in the lead, Patrick Pigneter (ITA), Alex Gruber (ITA), Thomas Kammerlander (AUT) and Michael Scheikl (AUT), kept this promise. After the second run on Sunday morning, Pigneter was just 0.02 seconds ahead of Scheikl and 0.05 seconds ahead of Gruber. Defending champion Kammerlander was also in touch, just 0.17 seconds behind Pigneter. In the final run at noon there was no holding back, in the crowded spectator tribune in the finish area there was an atmosphere like in a football stadium. Kammerlander took the lead, but Gruber took the lead with an excellent run ahead of 0.31 seconds. Scheikl finished ahead of Kammerlander by 0.01 seconds before everyone watched the start of the front runner. Pigneter didn't have a good run, with the sixth best (!) time he slipped down to fourth place, 0.44 seconds behind Gruber.
Podium men's singles (from left): Michael Scheikl (AUT), Alex Gruber (ITA) and Thomas Kammerlander (AUT)
Gruber to end his career with a world title
After 2017 (Vatra Dornei) and 2019 (Latzfons), Gruber won his third world title in singles, after which he let the cat out of the bag in the winner's interview: "Before the third run, I said to myself at the start that I had to risk everything, then it will be the gold medal – or fourth place. This third world title was hard fought - now is the right moment to end my career". Gruber, like Thomas Kammerlander, will put the luge in the corner with the World Cup finale in a week in Umhausen (AUT).
Vice World Champion Michael Scheikl celebrated his silver medal: “It was an extremely tough race, the tension was enormous. I'm very happy with the silver medal."
“My third run wasn't good, I never thought that it would be good for the podium. I wanted a medal at my last World Championships, I've got it now," explained Thomas Kammerlander, who already saw his medal-dreams buried.
The tragic hero, Patrick Pigneter, took the defeat sportingly: "Of course it's extremely bitter, but that's sport. I just wasn't fast enough in the third run."
Fourth world title for Lanthaler
The third run in the women's singles was a triumph for Evelin Lanthaler. After the two runs on Saturday, the defending champion had a comfortable lead, in the final run the 31-year-old extended her lead and confidently won her fourth world championship title. “I was pretty nervous today, even though my ride was really better this time. But it's a World Championships, that always makes it a bit more difficult." Second place for to the 2017 world champion, Greta Pinggera (ITA), bronze went to Tina Unterberger (ITA).
Podium women's singles (from left): Greta Pinggera (ITA), Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) and Tina Unterberger (AUT)
In the team competition concludet the World Championships 2023, Italy (Lanthaler/Gruber) successfully defended the 2021 World Championship title, ahead of Austria (Unterberger/Scheikl) and Germany (Lisa Walch/Vincent Streit).
Podium team competition (from left): Austria (Scheikl/Unterberger), Italy (Lanthaler/Gruber) and Germany (Walch/Streit)
The President of the International Luge Federation FIL, Einars Fogelis, followed the world championships in natural track luge every two days and was enthusiastic: "It was a first-class world championship, both from an organizational and a sporting point of view. The competitions were international sport at the highest level”.
60 athletes from 15 nations competed at the 24th FIL World Championships in Natural Track Luge in Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente.
Here is the videoclip with the highlights
Top 5 women’s singles
1. Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) 2.45,83 minutes
2. Greta Pinggera (ITA) +1,53 secons
3. Tina Unterberger (AUT) +1,89
4. Daniela Mittermair (ITA) +2,74
5. Lisa Walch (GER) +3,32
Top 5 men’s singles
1. Alex Gruber (ITA) 2.43,98 minutes
2. Michael Scheikl (AUT) +0,31 seconds
3. Thomas Kammerlander (AUT) +0,32
4. Patrick Pigneter (ITA) +0,44
5. Fabian Brunner (ITA) +0,89
Top 5 Team competition
1. Italien (Evelin Lanthaler/Alex Gruber) 1.53,99 minutes
2. Österreich (Tina Unterberger/Michael Scheikl) 1.54,96
3. Deutschland (Lisa Walch/Vincent Streit) 1.58,65
4. Slowenien (Meta Mekina/Ziga Kralj) 2.00,13
5. USA (Katie Cookman/Torey Cookman) 2.08,48
Medal table
1. Italien 4/2/0
2. Österreich 0/2/2
3. Slowenien, Deutschland 0/0/1
All-time leaderboard World Championships
Men’s singles
5 x gold: Gerhard Pilz (AUT)
3x gold: Patrick Pigneter (ITA), Alex Gruber (ITA
2 x gold: Anton Blasbichler (ITA)
Women’s singles
4x gold: Ekaterina Lavrenteva (RUS), Evelin Lanthaler (ITA
3 x gold: Delia Vaudan (ITA)
Doubles
5 x gold: Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara (ITA)
3x gold: Pavel Porshnev/Ivan Lazarev (RUS)
2 x gold: Wolfgang Schopf/Andreas Schopf (AUT), Andreas Jud/Ernst Oberhammer (ITA)
