Natalie Geisenberger surprises herself   

Innsbruck (FIL): Successful dress rehearsal for Natalie Geisenberger. The leader in the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup won the race in Innsbruck-Igls in a superior manner. With the two best times, the four-time Olympic champion secured her 51st World Cup victory ahead of teammate Julia Taubitz, who had triumphed at the season opener on the Olympic track. "Unbelievable, I wasn't bad the whole season," Geisenberger cheered, "now the knot has burst."

The 32-year-old from Miesbach showed how relieved she was after crossing the finish line. She clenched her fist again and again, showing a broad grin. The first run was great, I did really well from the start," was her analysis, "the second wasn't quite as flawless." That's why she was surprised that she managed the fastest run in 39.825 seconds.

Next to the two World Cup leaders Geisenberger and Taubitz, Summer Britcher made it to the podium in third place. "I felt very comfortable," said the U.S. athlete. However, it was her first podium finish this season because she had to skip the first half of the season. "It wasn't that easy to get started, though," she recounted, "and because the results didn't quite meet my expectations, I'm a little frustrated." With 0.286 seconds, the gap to winner Geisenberger is already quite large.

In fourth place, reigning World Champion Ekatarina Katnikova was another tenth of a second behind. Behind her Dajana Eitberger, the winner of the race in Oberhof, finished fifth. Tatyana Ivanova, besides Geisenberger, Taubitz and Eitberger the only winner not from the German team, finished only in tenth.

Results of the 8th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup 2020/21 in Innsbruck-Igls: https://www.fil-luge.org/en/multimedia/eberspaecher-world-cup-6