Berlin (pps) The SUZUKI Challenge Cup will head into its anniversary season with modified regulations. Moreover, an attractive innovation will celebrate its debut in Altenberg on January 23, 2009: the so-called sprint competition will have its première at the third of the altogether four events. The first stop of the SUZUKI Challenge Cup series, carried out in a knock-out system, will be staged on the Olympic track in Innsbruck-Igls next Saturday (November 29, 2008). Venues are - apart from Innsbruck-Igls and Altenberg - Cesana-Pariol (January 9, 2009) in Italy and Calgary (February 13, 2009) in Canada.
Following a decision by the FIL Executive Board, ten sleds in two groups will start in each of the three disciplines – women’s single, men’s single and double-seater. A maximum of two athletes per nation are eligible in compliance with the current seeded list. The third and fourth-placed of the preliminary runs will carry out a “small” final for third place, the two fastest of the preliminary runs will determine the winner in a final.
This system will remain unchanged at the première of the sprint competition. However, the already well-proven start-ramp of the relay events will be used. Contrary to the “classic” luge start, where every athlete decides when to kick-off, it will now come down to a good reaction time in the new variant of the sprint competition. It is now a random generator that will give the “track is clear” signal.
The four events of the SUZUKI Challenge Cup offer a total prize money of approximately 40,000 euros. The winners in the women’s and men’s singles receive 2,000 euros each, the double-seater will cash 2,400 euros. Last year, the winners were Silke Kraushaar-Pielach of Germany, who has ended her active career last winter, Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler and Germany’s Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch.
In the women’s singles, Silke Kraushaar-Pielach won the events in Calgary, Canada, and Sigulda, Latvia. Austria’s Nina Reithmayer won Altenberg, Germany, and two-time World champion Tatjana Huefner of Germany celebrated a victory in Igls, Austria. In the men’s singles, two-time Olympic champion Armin Zoeggeler of Italy achieved successes in Calgary and Altenberg, Germany’s David Moeller won the events in Igls and Sigulda. In the doubles’ event Leitner-Resch stood atop the podium in Calgary and Igls, Olympic champions Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger of Austria won the event in Altenberg and Italy’s current European champions Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber were successful in Sigulda.
