Olang (ck) The womens single seater event saw a new face on top of the podium: Renate Kasslatter (ITA), last year not even qualified to race in the RED BULL World Cup won in her only third race. "I think all the misfortune I have had in the past has made me strong enough to be a winner now", she said. The 23-year-old gardener works in her familys business, therefore she has got all the time she needs to concentrate on her sport. "I feel so good. It was not even clear whether I would be allowed to go to Canada, now I will go there as the World Cup leader." This is because the race in Liechtenstein (scheduled for next weekend) has been officially cancelled today. So the next stop will be in Grande Prairie, Canada.
Also looking forward to Canada is Sandra Mariner (AUT), who finished 3rd today. Ready to quit her career a while ago she has rediscovered the joy in her sport. Her secret of success: "Last year in the night event here in Olang I found out that my eyesight is quite bad, I had never before realized that. The other day I went to buy contact lenses and now I really enjoy racing again. Besides that I really do it for fun without any pressure any more." So after a really weak season Sandra Mariner made it on the podium once again.

A famous spectator of the race was still reigning World Champion Sonja Steinacher (ITA). She has quit her career and watched the race without any bad feelings: "I have realized that watching can be quite comfortable." The main reason why she quit racing was that Natural Track Luge has not become an Olympic discipline but also that she has started to build her own house in her hometown Verdings. "But this does not necessarily mean that I am planning on a family", she says with a smile. Her best memory of her racing career is winning the World Champion title last winter. "Because it was such a close finish and because I seemed to be way behind after the first run." What she wont miss: repairing the blades.

In the double seaters event Reinhard Beer and Herbert Kögl won with their long time routine: "When we prepared the sledge we did that for the long curves here in Olang. We like the track anyway and without the two key parts which had to be sacrificed to the shortened track we knew the material had to perfect and we would have to take full risk. In fact the result was that we had one of the best runs ever."
Also very happy were the runners up, Harald Kleinhofer and Gerhard Mühlbacher. "We never ever started into a season with such a good result", they said. In fact they have been known as either not being qualified in the first race of the season or not finishing because of a fall. "So this year there stands nothing against a terrific season". The Austrian clean sweep was completed by the cousins Wolfgang and Andreas Schopf.

Today World Cup coordinator Herbert Wurzer officially cancelled the race in Liechtenstein. The new date will be February 13th/14th.

Results:

Womens Singleseater (20):

1. Renate Kasslatter (ITA) 50,45 100 points
2. Christa Gietl (ITA) 50,53 85
3. Sandra Mariner (AUT) 50,99 70
4. Irene Mitterstieler (ITA) 51,05 60
5. Julia Vetlova (RUS) 51,06 55
6. Barbara Abart (ITA) 51,17 50
7. Ekatharina Lavrentjeva 51,51 46
8. Michaela Maurer (GER) 51,72 42

Doubleseater (11):

1. Reinhard Beer/Herbert Kögl (AUT) 51,26 100
2. Harald Kleinhofer/Gerhard Mühlbacher (AUT) 51,53 85
3. Wolfgang Schopf/Andreas Schopf (AUT) 51,74 70
4. Pawel Porschnev/Ivan Lararev (RUS) 51,80 60
5. Andrzej Laszczak/Damian Waniczek (POL) 51,99 55
6. Armin Maier/Johannes Hofer (ITA) 52,03 50