Olympic season to start with a record number of 31 nations registered to compete

Innsbruck-Igls (RWH): A new milestone: The Viessmann World Cup will start the 2017/2018 Olympic season in Innsbruck-Igls with a record number of 31 nations registered to compete. The season’s highlight will come later with the Winter Olympic Games in the Korean city of PyeongChang (9 to 25 February 2018). Until now, the record number of nations taking part in the Viessmann World Cup was 29, which was set last season for the race on the Olympic track at the foot of Patscherkofel Mountain in Innsbruck and the Olympic trials in the Alpensia Sliding Centre in PyeongChang. The racing series was launched in the winter of 1977/1978 and is now marking the 40th year of a long tradition. 

The first of the nine races in the run-up to the Olympics will feature 71 registered male athletes, 65 women, 36 doubles’ teams and 15 potential team relay squads. The line-up includes all big names from the world of luge. The women’s event will feature the two Germans, Natalie Geisenberger, 2014 Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion, and Tatjana Hüfner, 2010 Olympic Champion and the record-holding five-time World Champion. Another athlete to look out for is the 2014 Olympic bronze medallist Erin Hamlin of the USA, who won silver in the International Luge Federation’s (FIL) 47th World Championships in the pre-Olympic season, silver in the team relay and gold in the non-Olympic sprint discipline.

Austria is placing its hopes on Wolfgang Kindl, who has won two golds on his home track. Russia is counting on Roman Repilov, the defending holder of the Viessmann World Cup and World Championship silver medallist, and Semen Pavlichenko, the current European Champion. Meanwhile, Felix Loch, the 2010 and 2014 Olympic champion and five-time World Champion in the singles event, is keen to return to his former glories after a title-free season in 2016/2017.

In the doubles’ event, anything other than a German win would generate shock waves. At the World Championships, gold, silver and bronze all went to German duos with Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken, Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt and Robin Geueke/David Gamm.

Head coach Norbert Loch’s protégés, who won every gold medal going in Sochi four years ago, are naturally tipped as top favourites for the Viessmann Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW. Since the team relay premièred in winter 2010/2011, the German squad has won all overall standings and has secured 31 of 42 possible wins.