Vancouver (pps/February 2, 2010) There is hardly any other discipline in the sport of luge with so many competitive top teams fighting for success. This is why half a dozen teams can be counted among the medal contenders for the double's decision on February 17 (1st run at 17:00 hrs local time/02:00 hrs CET; 2nd run at 18:00 hrs local time/03:00 hrs CET) at the "Whistler Sliding Center". With the results of the past season in mind experts reckon with a tough fight for the set of medals among the three nations Italy, Austria and Germany.
Italy will place its hopes on the World champions Gerhard Plankensteiner-Oswald Haselrieder and the two-time overall World Cup winners Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber. The 2006 Olympic champions of Turin, Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger as well as the current European bronze medallists Tobias Schiegl-Markus Schiegl will represent the Austrian colours. And Germany will rely on the gold medal winners of Salt Lake City, Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch as well as on André Florschuetz-Torsten Wustlich, 2006 Olympic runners-up.
However, the US team and Latvia are hoping to earn a medal. And even host Canada reckons to turn their home advantage into a victory. The US team - they earned all their four Olympic medals in the double-seater (silver in 1998 and 2002 as well as bronze in 1998 and 2002) - will put faith in the teams of Mark Grimmette-Brian Martin as well as Christian Niccum-Daniel Joye. Latvia hopes for a good performance of the Sics brothers Andris and Juris. Already four years ago these two surprisingly achieved a remarkable seventh place.
The doubles' team of Chris Moffat-Eric Pothier, fifth at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, thus earned the so far best result ever at the Games. This time, however, Canada's hopes are placed on Chris and Mike Moffat. The two brothers - by the way the sons of Race Director Ed Moffat - achieved a ninth place in Turin four years ago.
In the 2009-2010 World Cup season, Germany's Leitner-Resch and Florschuetz-Wustlich both earned two victories, the teams of Oberstolz-Gruber and Linger-Linger celebrated one victory each. Germany's Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt, winner of the World Cup events in Koenigssee and Cesana, failed the team selection process just as, in Austria, Peter Penz-Georg Fischler, after all runners-up in Altenberg. All this clearly demonstrates the competitiveness and large number of top teams in the doubles' events.
The upcoming Olympic event will definitely be the last in the career of four-time World champions Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch. "Winning a medal we want to say goodbye. This is what we have worked hard for", said Leitner. On the other hand, André Florschuetz-Torsten Wustlich will leave a back-door open: "We will decide on our future only after the Olympic Games."
Similar to Oberstolz-Gruber, the team with Plankensteiner-Haselrieder, 2006 Olympic bronze medal winners in Turin, hope to compete at the 2011 World Championships on their home track in Cesana. And after the European bronze medal in Sigulda, Latvia, even the five-times Olympians Tobias Schiegl-Markus Schiegl have not yet given a thought to a possible end of their career. Their compatriots Linger-Linger, who have completed their collection with a gold medal at the 2010 Europeans - after a 2003 World gold medal and the 2006 Olympic title - will not end their active career either.
