Madeleine Egle conquers her Sigulda curse

Sigulda (FIL) Madeleine Egle caused a short moment of shock at the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Sigulda. At the exit of curve 15, the 23-year-old Austrian's sled briefly turned sideways. How much time had this cost? Would it still be enough to win? It was. She raced over the finish line with a lead of 0.180 seconds over Julia Taubitz (Germany). "I never thought I could win here," she said, touched, because in her first appearances on the challenging track she had always fallen in the lower part. This year she came through, albeit with a minor stumble. "I was totally surprised at the finish line," she said, pleased with a great gesture from her competitors who not only congratulated her but took a bow after the victory ceremony. "Madeleine was way ahead of us, she put in a really strong performance," Taubitz said appreciatively.

Egle, who is 1.84 metres tall, laid the foundation for her fourth victory this season with twice the best running time in both heats with a brilliant start. First she improved her own start record by one thousandth to 1.606 seconds, then added a 1.590 in heat two.

Tayana Ivanova also earned respect. The Russian had broken her foot at the season opener in Yanqing and returned in Sigulda. She celebrated a strong comeback as third, 0.218 seconds behind. Olympic champion Natalie Geisenberger, who finished fourth 0.340 seconds behind winner Egle, applauded while pointing her right foot into the TV camera. The 30-year-old Russian impressed with a perfect line as well as with a perfect riding position on the sled. Whenever possible, she put her head far back aerodynamically.   

Detailed results of the 7th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Sigulda (LAT) can be found under the following link: https://www.fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-14