Preview 8th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Sigulda (LAT):
Sporty finale with double World Cup in Sigulda
Sigulda (FIL/21. Feb. 2024) From Oberhof, Germany, the World Cup entourage will travel to Sigulda, Latvia, where the eighth and penultimate EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup will be held from February 23-25. In addition to the World Cup races, the third and last Sprint World Cup of the season will be held on Sunday, which will decide who will receive the small crystal globes in the sprint discipline. Just like last time in Oberhof, the team around OC President Klāvs Vasks will welcome the luge elite to a double World Cup, as the big World Cup final of this season will take place one week later on the challenging artificial track in Sigulda. 140 athletes from 22 nations will compete in Latvia. There will be 34 men's and 34 women's singles as well as 13 women's and 23 men's doubles.
Decision on small crystal globes in the Sprint World Cup
In addition to the large crystal globes for winning the EBERSPAECHER Overall World Cup (12 races), the FIL also awards small crystal globes for the overall discipline winners of the classic EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup (9 competitions) and the Sprint World Cup (3 competitions). The Sprint World Cup will be decided this weekend in Sigulda.
After the two sprint events in Lake Placid (USA) and Oberhof (GER), Julia Taubitz (GER) leads the Women's Sprint World Cup rankings with 200 points after two victories, ahead of the US American Ashley Farquharson and Switzerland's Natalie Maag, who have both scored 125 points. The Sprint World Champion also leads the Overall World Cup with 825 points ahead of Madeleine Egle (AUT, 644) and team-mate Anna Berreiter (572).
It looks similar in the Men's Singles event. Only Max Langenhan (GER) landed on the sprint podium twice and leads the Sprint World Cup with two victories and 200 points, followed by his team-mate Felix Loch (145) and the Austrians Jonas Müller (145) and Nico Gleirscher (120). The 24-year-old from Thuringia also leads the Overall World Cup with 840 points ahead of Jonas Müller (664) and Latvia's Kristers Aparjods (571).
It remains exciting in the Men's Doubles. In their debut season, Austria's Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl have already finished second twice and are top of the Sprint rankings with 170 points, closely followed by Hannes Orlamünder/Paul Gubitz (GER, 160), who recently celebrated their first World Cup victory on their home track in Oberhof. The Latvian Sprint World Champions Martins Bots/Roberts Plume are in third place with 146 points. Steu/Kindl also lead the Overall World Cup with 771 points, followed by Wendl/Arlt (GER, 630), Orlamünder/Gubitz (GER, 603) and Bots/Plume (LAT, 576).
It's a different story in the Women's Doubles: Both sprint victories of the season went to the young Austrians Selina Egle/Lara Kipp. Apart from them, only the newly formed German doubles team of Dajana Eitberger/Saskia Schirmer made it onto the podium twice. Egle/Kipp now lead with 200 points ahead of Eitberger/Schirmer (155), Forgan/Kirkby (USA, 140) and Vötter/Oberhofer (AUT, 130). In the Overall World Cup, however, Vötter/Oberhofer finished on the podium in eight out of nine races and have taken the lead in the Overall World Cup with 710 points, followed by Degenhardt/Rosenthal (GER, 695), Eitberger/Schirmer (661) and Egle/Kipp (644).
An overview of the overall World Cup standings and the individual disciplines can be found here: fil-luge.org/en/overall-scores?event_season_id=31
The International Luge Federation (FIL) announces the race calendar for the artificial track season 2024/2025. Read more: Race calendar for the 2024/2025 season on artificial track published (fil-luge.org)
Quotes:
Julia Taubitz (GER): „I'm really looking forward to the World Cup and the final in Sigulda. It didn't have to be another two weeks, but that's the way it is. I really enjoy racing there now. It's a very challenging track, where the start curve is a difficult key section for us from the women's and doubles' start. Unfortunately, I've often thrown away a few wins there in recent years. That's why I'll be focusing on that. There are also many key sections in the lower part: out of the 11, out of the 14, out of the 15, so everything has to fit down there.“
Hannes Orlamünder (GER): „Sigulda is one of the tracks where we like to race. You mustn't forget that we won our first Junior World Championship title there. I just like competing there because you don't have much time to think about it. Gliding tracks, for example, where it's all about feeling, don't suit me at all. That's why Oberhof and Sigulda are very similar. There's not much room to catch your breath. The key sections are clearly the start and the start curve. Apart from that, it's also important to keep your speed up in the slow part of the course and slide very precisely because you can lose a lot of time there. For us doubles, 12, 13 and 14 are very difficult passages, too, as it can quickly turn you around and you slide down on your frontside. Exit 15 - if you don't get it right, if you don't take the pressure point perfectly, then it can get tight at the end because there's this straight where you briefly go uphill. The track is difficult to slide, but it's always fun.“
Kristers Aparjods (LAT): „My goal is to win both World Cup races and the sprint at my hometrack, but the other guys are strong enough. The ice will be slippery, as always, so one needs to slide precise, and you need two good runs to finish on the top of the podium. The strongest will always win. I am looking forward to doing my best. I don’t think it will be just a duel between Max and myself. Dominik Fischnaller as well as the Austrians and Felix Loch know the Sigulda track very well and they all will be ready for the last two World Cups. I am sure everyone will throw in all or nothing. I know that I will be ready to show my best performance! “
Anda Upite (LAT): „I am looking forward to our home race very much. I will be sliding again with Zane Kaluma, who was competing at the Junior World Championship last weekend in singles.“
Kitija Bogdanova (LAT): „I unfortunately won’t be competing in Sigulda. My frontwomen Marta Robezniece had a surgery and is recovering. We will be sliding together again next season. I will, of course, be at the track watching these girls and cheer on all of my team-mates. Competing with Anda in Oberhof was an interesting experience. I felt the difference and I do learn a lot. We have been helping each other throughout the season anyway, so it was fine for everyone to change the doubles team.“
Emily Sweeney (USA): „I am excited to go to Sigulda. I enjoy sliding there and I like the place, too. We got nice apartments there, I love the town, and, most important, I have got a haircut appointment scheduled for Tuesday. I am ready to go to Sigulda and slide somewhere else than Germany. [laughs] For me personally the most difficult is to handle the amount of pressure that is on the track, especially curve 15 and Kreisel, but other than that, my biggest challenge this year is going to be the top curves, just making them smooth and carry as much speed from the start as I can. “
Summer Britcher (USA): „I have had some really hard times in Sigulda, so for a bit I was nervous. Last year I had a hard time again, but for a long time it was one of my favorite tracks. This fall we had some really good trainings there and I finally feel comfortable there again, like I did before the Olympic season when I had a bad crash. I am excited to get back there. I keep my fingers crossed that we have some cold weather. “
Andrea Vötter (ITA): „We were two thousandth of a second ahead in second place on Saturday in Oberhof and two thousandths behind in third place on Sunday at the Sprint. It's very exciting and close in the women's doubles, which is great fun. “
Marion Oberhofer (ITA): „And the best thing is that we were able to extend our narrow lead in the Overall World Cup, and that before Sigulda, where we really like to race. “
Selina Egle (AUT): „That was a good run in the sprint in Oberhof, and obviously the discipline suits us very well because the start is not so important. We're also really happy because we still have a chance of finishing on the podium in the Overall World Cup with fourth place. However, it won't be easy with three races in Sigulda. We had quite a few problems there last year. But we'll give everything we've got and see if we can still finish in the top three in the overall standings. “
Thomas Steu (AUT): „Our speed is incredible at the moment, we're in great shape, but we're still making too many mistakes on the track in our newcomer season, but we'll improve. We're now looking forward to the final two weeks in Sigulda. We have a good cushion, but nothing has been decided yet. We'll look from race to race. “
Jonas Müller (AUT): „I just like Oberhof, I really like the rhythm of the track. I felt very comfortable there again, I'm physically fine, the equipment was super fast, the start was also perfect, it's just fun. It will be difficult in the Overall World Cup, Max is extremely strong. But of course, I'll try to keep up and secure second place. “
Schedule & TV coverage
8. EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Sigulda (LAT)
Local start time (=CET/MEZ)
Friday, February 23, 2024
09:00 (08:00) Nations Cup
14:30 (13:30) Training seeded group
Saturday, February 24, 2024
10:00 (09:00) Women’s Singles, 1st run
11:25 (10:25) Women’s Singles, 2nd run
12:55 (11:55) Men’s Doubles, 1st run
13:43 (12:43) Women’s Doubles, 1st run
14:40 (13:40) Men’s Doubles, 2nd run
15:32 (14:32) Women’s Doubles, 2nd run
Sunday, February 25, 2024
10:27 (09:27) Men’s Singles, 1st run
12:35 (11:35) Men’s Singles, 2nd run
14:30 (13:30) Sprint Women's Singles
15:15 (14:15) Sprint Men’s Doubles
15:45 (14:45) Sprint Women's Doubles
16:30 (15:30) Sprint Men’s Singles
Subject to change without notice!
Live TV-Broadcast: fil-luge.org/en/multimedia/eberspaecher-world-cup-33
Link to the FIL YouTube Channel: FIL Luge - YouTube
Link to athletes‘biographies: Athletes Overview & Achievements - Int. Luge Federation FIL (fil-luge.org)
