Preview 2nd EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Whistler (CAN): Return of the Luge Elite to Overseas

Whistler (07 Dec. 2022) There has never been such an opening of the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup: Four races in the World Cup and four races in the Sprint World Cup were on the program at the traditional season opener in the Olympic Ice Canal in Igls, and all victories went to Austrian lugers. The red-white-red festivities culminated in the triple and quadruple triumphs of the Austrian men's doubles and men's singles in front of enthusiastic spectators. "I am still floating on cloud nine. We could not have dreamed of such an opening. That was sensational," said Austria's new head coach Christian Eigentler enthusiastically.

This week, the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup returns to North America for the first time in three years. From December 8 to 10, 2022, World Cup points will first be at stake at the Whistler Sliding Center (CAN), the Olympic track of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, before the entire entourage moves on to Park City (USA). The first EBERSPÄCHER Team Relay presented by BMW also takes place during this World Cup weekend.

Whistler last hosted a luge World Cup in December 2019. After that, travel and entry restrictions as well as health requirements during the Covid 19 pandemic caused the overseas races to be relocated to Europe. It will be exciting especially for the many young lugers who are new or have been competing in the World Cup for a year, because due to the pandemic all junior competitions were mainly held in Europe and thus none of them knows the tracks in North America.

Quotes:

Trinity Ellis (CAN): “The summer went well for me; I was able to stay at home in Whistler more this summer, which allowed me to spend more time with my family which was very nice. I have stayed healthy since the end of last season thankfully! Preseason sliding has been going very well so far and I am excited to get back to racing, the offseason has felt long!”

“It is so amazing to have the World Cup back in Whistler this year; it has felt like ages since we last raced here in 2019. It is so special to race at home and I’m so excited to finally have my family and friends be able to watch a race! Due to the pandemic, none of my family or friends have been able to watch a World Cup in person since the last race in Whistler in 2019.”

“If you have some free time, a fun activity I would recommend during the day would be ice skating at the Olympic Plaza (they have cheap rentals!), in the evening I would recommend Vallea Lumina, which is a fun outdoor experience. A bit of a bigger adventure would be going up Whistler or Blackcomb mountain and taking the peak to peak gondola. I hope everyone gets a chance to explore beautiful Whistler!”

Christian Eigentler, head coach Austria: “I'm still floating on cloud nine. We couldn't have dreamed of such a start. That was sensational. The whole team, all athletes, coaches and support staff have shown a great performance. We are really happy. We are now trying to take the momentum with us. Of course, we can't assume that it will continue like this overseas. We have a young team with little or no experience on the tracks in Whistler and Park City. For us, that means we will be working very hard. Whistler is a very short track, so it depends a lot on the start and the athletic performance. In addition, you also have to adjust the equipment to the new track and then just perform well.”

Nico Gleirscher (AUT): “Whistler is a track I like very much. Now we have to adjust to it quickly because we haven't raced there for a long time. Honestly, anything can happen there.”

Juri Gatt (AUT): “We often have a hard time with new tracks. At home in Igls we know our way around and that's where we can perform. We have prepared ourselves for the fact that it will be tougher again now. But we know we have the speed, and if we hit the track well, then it will be fine. That's why we just try to get to know the tracks overseas and wait and see what comes out.”

Lara Kipp (AUT): “Selina and I have both not been on the tracks in oversees yet. Because of Corona, the junior competitions have been mainly in Europe lately. That's why we haven't been able to go there. But we are really looking forward to the challenge. It will certainly be demanding, but we'll just get tips from our men and then it will be fine.”

Julia Taubitz (GER): “Although Igls is one of my favorite tracks, I noticed at the start of the season that there was already a certain pressure after the Olympic Games. I was very nervous. As in the individual, it was only enough for third place in the sprint, but I was more satisfied because the run was nicer. It was just super tight at the top for us ladies, and we have to really push this winter. We can't afford any mistakes, and that's going to be really hard.”

Norbert Loch, Head Coach Germany: “We certainly didn't have the start in Innsbruck that we had hoped for. It was particularly bitter for us in the men's race that Felix was not only able to keep up against the strong Austrian armada in the first run, but overall has a lot to think about now after his crash. He injured his thigh and therefore did not start in the sprint. However, our physiotherapists and doctors will have him fixed by next week. You cannot expect miracles from our young men. Timon showed a terrific performance and justified his commitment in Innsbruck. I was not quite as satisfied with David and Mathis, there is still room for improvement. The fact remains that we were definitely not competitive in the men's event in Igls.”

Schedule & TV coverage
Local start time (=CET/MEZ)

Thursday, Dec 08, 2022
09:00 (18:00) Training seeded group
17:30 (02:30) FIL Nationscup

Friday, Dec 09, 2022
13:00 (22:00) Men, 1st run
14:30 (23:30) Men, 2nd run
16:00 (01:00) Women, 1st run
17:30 (02:30) Women, 2nd run

Saturday, Dec 10, 2022
11:00 (20:00) Men’s Doubles, 1st run
11:45 (20:45) Women’s Doubles, 1st run
12:40 (21:40) Men’s Doubles, 2nd run
13:25 (22:25) Women’s Doubles, 2nd run
14:50 (23:50) Team-Relay

Subject to change without notice!

Link to the live TV broadcast and the FIL Media Guide with information about the athletes
FIL Multimedia - International Luge Federation (fil-luge.org)

Contacts:

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Margit Dengler-Paar
Communications Manager
Phone +49 179 459 66 30
E-Mail: press@fil-luge.org

For Media Accreditation for the 51st FIL World Championships in Oberhof please contact:

Head of Media / Media accreditation
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