Lake Placid (pps) For the second time, the FIL Team Relay is part of the World Championship programme of the International Luge Federation, FIL. At the premiere at the 40th FIL Luge Championships in Oberhof last year, the team from Germany won this competition ahead of the teams from Austria and Latvia. The quartet from Latvia then won the first edition of the Team Relay at European Championships, ahead of the teams from Austria and Italy.
During the two seasons - 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 - that the Team Relay has been part of the official FIL competition programme, teams from six nations have scored podium finishes. In both seasons, Germany captured the overall SUZUKI Team Relay rankings, in the 2007-2008 winter ahead of USA and Austria and then in 2008-2009 ahead of Austria and the US team.
Germany also heads the rankings with regard to the individual victories, celebrating six victories, two second places and one third rank in the altogether nine events of the SUZUKI Team Relay. Austria holds second place (two victories – five second places) ahead of the US team (one victory – four third places). So far, Canada’s team achieved two second ranks (Koenigssee in 2008 and Altenberg in 2009). Italy and European champion Latvia have posted two third places.
The US team celebrated their so far only victory last winter at the World Championship test on their home track in Lake Placid. The team with Erin Hamlin, Tony Benshoof and Christian Niccum-Daniel Joye knocked down the quartet from Austria with Nina Reithmayer, Daniel Pfister and Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger to second place. Germany’s team with Silke Kraushaar-Pielach, Felix Loch and Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch had to make do with third place at the World Championship test.
