Preview 4th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Altenberg (GER) - Luge elite coming to Germany
Altenberg (FIL) The international luge elite will stop at the 4th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Altenberg, Saxony. After China and Russia, this is the first stop in Central Europe. 175 athletes from 27 nations have registered. From Wednesday, 8 December 2021, the official World Cup training will begin on the luge track in Altenberg.
The Latvian brothers Andris and Juris Sics and Germany's Julia Taubitz and Johannes Ludwig will start as World Cup leaders in the yellow jersey.
The Sics brothers have always finished on the podium in the last nine World Cup races, since their home World Cup on 9 January 2021 in Sigulda. They have four wins, two second places and three third places. With two victories and two third places, the brothers from Sigulda lead the overall World Cup standings this winter with 340 points ahead of Eggert/Benecken from Germany (291 points).
World Champion Julia Taubitz took the World Cup lead with her two victories last weekend on the 2014 Olympic track in Sochi (RUS) and will compete at home in Saxony for the first time this season in the yellow bib of the World Cup leader. Taubitz is saddened as due to the high incidence of Covid 19 in Saxony, no spectators are allowed to the World Cup races: "We had to return 40 tickets. The advance ticket sales had already started and my family, friends and fans had already bought tickets," reports the World Champion, who competes for the club of WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal.
In the men's event, World Cup leader Johannes Ludwig only just missed the triple as the runner-up at the third EBERSPÄCHER World Cup in Sochi. He leads the ranking with 335 World Cup points ahead of three-time Olympic Champion Felix Loch (also Germany) and World Champion Roman Repilov from Russia. Repilov is one of the eleven athletes concerned who have been competing with rented sleds and equipment since the World Cup opener in China. Their equipment boxes were confiscated by customs when they left the Olympic city of Beijing.
World Cup Standings:
Women Singles:
1) Taubitz (GER), 324
2) Berreiter (GER), 275
3) Aparjode (LAT), 245
Men Singles:
1) Ludwig (GER), 335
2) Loch (GER), 266
3) R. Repilov (RUS), 239
Doubles:
1) Sics/Sics (LAT), 340
2) Eggert/Benecken (GER), 291
3) Bogdanov/Prokhorov (RUS), 261
Schedule competitions:
local times Altenberg, GER
Friday, 10 December 2021
09.00 h FIL Nations Cup men (41 starters), 10.35 h women (43),
12.10 h Doubles (20)
14.30 hrs Training seeded group (12 doubles, 12 women, 15 men)
4th EBERSAECHER Luge World Cup
Saturday, December 11, 2021
09:30 Doubles (1st run)
10:50 Doubles (2nd run)
12:10 Women (1st run)
13:35 Women (2nd run)
Sunday 12.12.2021
4th Eberspächer Luge World Cup
09:15 Men (1st run)
10:55 Men (2nd run)
13:00 EBERSPÄCHER Team relay World Cup presented by BMW
Quotes:
Julia Taubitz, GER: "I try to build on the results of Sochi in Altenberg. With the home advantage it always gets so hyped up for me and everyone expects a lot. Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to Altenberg. The weather is not supposed to be that nice, very wintry. But I like the track. I really like tobogganing there. I take the momentum with me and ride it home. It's a pity that no spectators are allowed. We already had to return 40 tickets".
Summer Britcher, USA: "I'm now preparing for the race in Altenberg and I'm happy about my podium finish last time in Sochi. To be honest, I don't really like tracks where I'm not really fast. It is always an advantage to have additional training on such a track. There was an international training week in Altenberg, but the US team couldn't participate. I hope that I will get faster anyway and therefore like Altenberg more. But the track is always in a very good condition. The track workers do a great job."
Andris Sics, LAT: "We are looking forward to Altenberg. We have a lot of experience on all tracks, so we do well on all tracks. We always take it as it comes".
Thomas Steu, AUT: "During a training run in Sochi I broke my left tarsal bone and therefore had skip two weeks in the World Cup. The therapy went according to plan. We will definitely travel to Altenberg. I really hope for a comeback there. The healing process is going according to plan, the decision whether I can start with Lorenz at the fourth World Cup of the season will be made after the training next Thursday in Altenberg. The training will be our endurance test!"
Rene Friedl, headcoach and sports director AUT: "In Sochi we did not quite fulfil our expectations. The performance of Wolfi Kindl, who successfully worked his way back and recorded a strong second race weekend, deserves special mention. Müller/Frauscher are also heading in the right direction, they have the podium in their sights. The same goes for Madeleine, who was able to improve compared to the training, but left quite a bit to be desired in the race. We have to work on consistency, partly we still have deficits at the start. I expect a corresponding reaction in Altenberg and hope for the comeback of Steu/Koller."
Kristers Aparjods, LAT: "I hope for more victories. I really like the track in Altenberg. A year ago I finished on the podium there for the first time. I hope for good conditions, that's guaranteed if the ice stays the same until the last pilot".
Felix Loch, GER: "I really enjoy racing in Altenberg. Even though not all of my equipment has arrived here yet, I have my own sled and that already distinguishes me from Dominik Fischnaller, Roman Repilov and others who still have to race with rental equipment. My goal is to show two good runs at the World Cup race and to be on the podium. Hansi Ludwig is particularly strong here in Altenberg right from the start. At the German Championships, I had a hard time at the top of the start corner, but I saw during the inspection of the track that the ice masters have prepared the corner much better for the World Cup.
