Noah Kallan, Josephine Buse, Robezniece/Bogdanova and Mueller/Haugsjaa secure victory at the Junior World Cup final in Sigulda
Sigulda (FIL/02 Mrz 2025) Austria's Noah Kallan delivered an outstanding performance to take the victory in the men's singles at the sixth and final FIL Junior World Cup in Sigulda, Latvia. The 20-year-old from Salzburg set the fastest time in both runs and secured first place on the podium with a total time of 1:38.440.
Kallan's fastest measured speed of 121.3 km/h (75.4 mph) underlined the high level of the junior competition.
Germany's Hannes Röder put in a strong performance and recorded the fastest start times. However, due to a slightly slower last section, he finished in second place with a total time of 1:38.805. His teamate Marco Leger rounded off the podium with a time of 1:39.063.
Other notable performances were the fourth place of Danyil Marcinovskyi (Ukraine), the fifth place of Christian Bosman (Slovakia) and the sixth place of Lukas Peccei (Italy).
Leon Haselrieder took the crystal globe in the overall junior World Cup. The young Italian earned 380 points in six races and won ahead of Noah Kallan of Austria (355 points) and Marco Leger of Germany (325).
Josephine Buse wins the final of the FIL Junior World Cup 2025
In the last race of the women's singles, Germany's Josephine Buse secured victory on the prestigious track in Sigulda and also the overall crystal ball as the winner of the junior women's event.
Buse showed exceptional consistency, finishing both runs in first place with a total time of 1:24.173. She reached an impressive top speed of 114.9 km/h (71.4 mph), cementing her dominance in the 2024/2025 World Cup series.
Latvia's winner of the fifth World Cup two days ago, Zane Kaluma, thrilled the home crowd with a strong performance and took the silver medal in the final. With a total time of 1:24.379, she was two tenths of a second behind Buse. Kaluma's top speed was the same as the German winner's and reached 114.9 km/h (71.5 mph) in her second run.
Italian Alexandra Oberstolz rounded off the podium with a total time of 1:24.514.
Junior World Champion Margita Sirsnina (LAT), Katharina Kofler (ITA) and Annina Grundböck (AUT) completed the top six, all putting in convincing performances on the demanding track in Sigulda.
In the overall World Cup standings after six World Cup races in the junior women's event, Antonia Pietschmann (GER) with 386 points and Alexandra Oberstolz (ITA) with a total of 301 points are in second and third place behind overall winnerJosephine Buse (GER/451).
Latvian women's doubles Robezniece/Bogdanova triumph at FIL Luge Junior World Cup final
Local heroes Marta Robezniece and Kitija Bogdanova delivered a dominant performance to win gold in women's doubles at the Junior World Cup final. With their precise and controlled runs, they secured first place with a total time of 1:18.944 and thrilled the local audience.
The Latvian duo maintained their lead from start to finish, setting the fastest intermediate times in both runs and reaching a top speed of 110.6 km/h (68.8 mph).
Germany's Elisa-Marie Storch and Pauline Patz put in a strong performance to take second place with a total time of 1:19.128, while the Italian duo of Alexandra Oberstolz and Katharina Kofler secured bronze with a time of 1:19.550.
Other top contenders included Zuzana Jedrzejczyk and Oliwia Dawidowska (Poland) in fourth place, Sarah Pflaume/Lina Petersheim (Germany) in fifth place and Sadie Martin/Brianna Gosnell (USA), who completed the top six.
In the overall World Cup of the juniors in the doubles, the young Italians Oberstolz/Kofler won with 495 points in six races. The South Tyroleans made it to the podium in each of the six junior World Cups. Second place, with four wins, a second place and a crash in Winterberg, went to the German double Storch/Patz, ahead of their compatriots Pflaume/Petersein, who achieved a victory in Winterberg.
Mueller and Haugsjaa dominate FIL Junior World Cup final in the junior men's doubles
The US-American duo Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa delivered an extraordinary performance to win the gold medal at the 6th Junior World Cup in the men's doubles. Their flawless runs secured them first place with a total time of 1:17.795 and cemented their dominance on the international stage.
Mueller and Haugsjaa led from start to finish in both heats. The 20- (Mueller) and 21-year-olds from Lake Placid, showed superior technique and speed, reaching a top speed of 111.7 km/h (69.4 mph). Their outstanding teamwork earned them the well-deserved victory.
Germany's Louis Grünbeck and Maximilian Kührt put in a strong performance to take second place with a total time of 1:18.443, while Latvia's Raimonds Baltgalvis and Uldis Jakseboga thrilled the home crowd by securing bronze with a time of 1:18.683.
Other outstanding performances were shown by Bivins/Lux (USA) in fourth place and Panchuk/Muts (Ukraine) in fifth place.
In the overall doubles' standings, Grünbeck/Kührt (GER) won with 510 points ahead of Baltgalvis/Jakseboga (LAT/445) and the German duo Silas Sartor with Liron Raimer (430 points), who finished sixth at the final Junior World Cup in Sigulda.
German team triumphs again in junior team competition and secures overall victory
The German junior team once again proved its class in the fifth team competition of the FIL 2024/2025 Junior World Cup season, clinching its fifth victory in a row. With an outstanding performance on the technically difficult ice track in Sigulda, the team comfortably beat the competition to secure overall victory in the team standings ahead of Austria and Latvia.
Hannes Röder, the doubles pairing of Grünbeck and Kührt and Josephine Buse achieved a total best time of 1:57.382 minutes to dominate the race.
The Latvian team, consisting of Zane Kaluma, Edvards Marts Markitans and the double Raimonds Baltgalvis and Uldis Jakseboga, took second place with a time of 1:57.810 minutes.
Austria secured third place with a total time of 1:58.186 minutes. Annina Grundböck, Noah Kallan, Johannes Scharnagl and Moritz Schiegl showed a consistent performance and fought a close battle with the Latvian athletes.
With this latest victory, Germany secured overall success in the team standings of the 2024/2025 FIL Junior World Cup with the maximum 500 points after five wins. In the final standings, Austria finished second (350 points), while host nation Latvia ended the season in third place overall with 325 points.
The Junior World Cup final in Sigulda was an exciting conclusion to the 2024/2025 FIL Junior World Cup season and set the stage for the next generation of luge athletes who will make their mark on the international racing circuits in the future.
Further updates and official results can be found at www.fil-luge.org.
