OBDACH-WINTERLEITEN. Things are really getting serious now for the lugers on Natural Track: Only one week before the World Cup finals take place in Umhausen (AUT), the athletes will fight for medals at the 27th FIL European Championships in Obdach-Winterleiten (AUT), where the races will be held from February 9th to 11th 2018.
The European Championships on Luge on Natural Track take place every two years, last time they were held in the Passeier Valley/Val Passiria (ITA). Back then, Thomas Kammerlander (AUT), Evelin Lanthaler (ITA), and Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara (ITA) claimed the gold medals in their respective categories – and the results of the current World Cup season indicate that these athletes can be considered as favorites in Obdach-Winterleiten as well. Nevertheless, it is not going to be easy for the title defenders, since the competitors are extremely strong.
At the men’s event, two Italian athletes in particular are worth mentioning, namely Alex Gruber and Patrick Pigneter, who are still hot on the heels of Kammerlander in the race for the World Cup and who will probably give the Austrian a hard time in Obdach-Winterleiten too. But there are other strong contenders as well, among them Kammerlander’s teammate Michael Scheikl, who will be highly motivated at his home event.
At the women’s competition, Lanthaler will have to keep her teammate Greta Pinggera at bay, who had won both the World Cup and the World Championships in the previous season and has also shown good performances this year. Apart from the Austrians Tina Unterberger and Michelle Diepold, who aim to make their home advantage count, Ekaterina Lavrentyeva in particular should be considered among the favorites: The Russian made her comeback this season and already announced that her primary goal is to win a medal at the European Championships.
At the doubles, Patrick Pigneter/Florian Clara have already demonstrated their strength in this World Cup season: the results – four victories in five races – speak for themselves. However, the dress rehearsal for the European Championships could have been better for the Italians, since they were only able to rank sixth at the last World Cup race in Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (ITA). Among the athletes who have benefited from this outcome were the reigning World Champions Rupert Brüggler/Tobias Angerer (AUT), and the overall winners of the previous season, Pavel Porshnev/Ivan Lazarev (RUS). Those pairings in particular are ready to punish any possible errors by Pigneter/Clara.
On Friday, February 9th, the training runs of all categories will be held, while on the next day the winners of the doubles’ event will be determined. On Sunday, February 11th, the European Championships will find an end with the final runs of the women and the men.
Live stream:
http://www.fil-luge.org/de/live-streaming-naturbahn
