Madeleine Egle Set for Comeback
Madeleine Egle, who was banned for 20 months retrospectively from 1 March 2025 to 31 October 2026 after missing three unannounced doping controls in 2023, will continue her career. While the 27-year-old Tyrolean had until recently kept a low profile, any doubts and thoughts of retirement are now firmly off the table.
"It was hard to accept the extent of the punishment, and even harder to come to terms with the consequences. During that period I first needed distance, and then I put my full focus on my education and professional development," said Egle, who completed her bachelor's degree this March and gained professional experience at the University of Innsbruck. "That has been very valuable, because these new challenges, different social circles and the distance from elite sport have helped me gain clarity in my thoughts and plans," said the two-time Olympic medallist (bronze 2018, silver 2022, both in the team relay), World and European Champion, who has been preparing for her return to professional sport with an individual training programme. From 1 September she is permitted to train again with the Austrian Luge Federation team; her ban expires on 31 October.
"The decision to return to elite sport was not spontaneous – it has grown over the past months. I want to compete again and be successful. My last race was in February 2025, it will definitely take patience, and it remains to be seen whether the road to La Plagne is the right one for me."
Christian Eigentler regards Egle's comeback as a blessing for the entire team. The Austrian Luge Federation head coach sees the Tyrolean as "an important cornerstone of our setup, not only for her sporting qualities but also for her social skills. She is a very focused and consistently hard-working athlete. When she feels comfortable on the sled and in the competition environment, she will certainly be a force to be reckoned with again."
The 2026/27 World Cup season begins on the last November weekend in Winterberg, Germany, and covers nine events across seven countries. La Plagne, the venue for the 2030 Olympic luge events, makes its return to the World Cup calendar. The season's highlight is a historic premiere: for the first time in the history of the sport, the World Championship medals in both artificial track luge and alpine luge will be awarded simultaneously and at the same venue – Innsbruck-Igls – in February.
