Sochi (pps) Luge experts are prepared for yet another sequel to the never-ending duel of the past years, even though under different signs. Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger has turned from being the hunter to the hunted while defending Olympic Champion Tatjana Huefner has to make do with the role of being the challenger.

But first things first: Since the winter of 2006-2007 Huefner has dominated the women’s singles, claiming the 2010 Olympic gold medal, four World Championship titles and five overall Viessmann Luge World Cup victories. And it was always Geisenberger who kept drawing the short straw: she won the Olympic bronze medal, had to make do with three World Championship silver medals and became four times runner-up in the overall World Cup rankings behind Huefner.

But in the pre-Olympic season the pecking order changed when the “best supporting actress” finally became the leading character. Claiming the World and European Championship titles as well as the overall World Cup Geisenberger won everything there was to win. And the 25-year-old from Miesbach continued her winning streak in the Olympic season: At eight of nine events in the Viessmann Luge World Cup series the winner was Geisenberger. “My aim is a medal,” she is modest. “They all tell me I’m the top favorite. But I don’t want to put even more pressure on myself.”

Incidentally it was Huefner who put pressure on her teammate as she was the one to inflict the (so far) only defeat this season on Geisenberger at the World Cup in Oberhof (GER). “The speed is back,” said Huefner, who was plagued by back problems at the beginning of the season. But now the defending champion is free of pain and quite relaxed: “I’m smiling again – this is what my coach always wanted.”

Apart from the two German racers, further medal candidates on February 10-11 (start at 18:45 and 18:30 hrs local time respectively/15:45 and 15:30 hrs CET respectively) are Canadian Alex Gough, 2011 and 2013 World Championship bronze medalist, as well as two-time European Champion Tatiana Ivanova (photo, right) of Russia. The 2012 World silver medalist did not compete at the World Cup events in North America because the entire Russian team prepared intensively for the Winter Games on the Olympic luge track at the Sliding Center Sanki.

Huefner now has a golden opportunity at her third Olympic Games. Should the 30-year-old really take the podium’s top spot in Sochi, she would become the most successful female luger at Olympic Games with then two gold and one bronze medal (2006). “I don’t give any thought to things like that,” Huefner said. Currently she holds fourth position on the respective ranking.

Top positions in this ranking hold Steffi Walter (former GDR), who earned the gold medal in Sarajevo in 1984 under her maiden name Martin and four years later in Calgary, as well as Sylke Otto (GER) with two Olympic titles. Silke Kraushaar-Pielach is in third place - between 1998 and 2006 she collected an entire set of medals.