The Track is Clear: Ice Training has started in Lillehammer

Lillehammer (FIL/30 Sep 2024) On Monday, September 30, 2024, the luge teams from Ukraine, various regional associations in Germany, Poland, Latvia and Austria were the first athletes to start the pre-Olympic ice season. On the legendary 1994 Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway, the international luge athletes are now preparing for the upcoming season after completing their athletic training. The pre-Olympic season starts on November 30, 2024, with the EBERSPAECHER World Cup premiere, also in Lillehammer.

While the German national team is not officially represented, some athletes from the regional associations of Bavaria, Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia are taking advantage of the conditions in Norway to train on ice. The Austrian team, on the other hand, is almost completely on site to take the next steps in their preparation. From October 1, Austria's Olympic athletes will begin training on the Hunderfossen track.

The team from Austria is particularly focusing on the further development of the material, especially in the area of the pods, based on findings from their wind tunnel tests. With nine weeks to go before the start of the World Cup season, the athletes of head coach Christian Eigentler are returning to the track. Only Wolfgang Kindl, one of Austria's top lugers in singles and doubles, had to cancel due to illness. New to the team are Lisa Zimmermann and Barbara Allmaier, who are to be introduced to the world's top women's doubles. Dorothea Schwarz, who made her World Cup debut in Sigulda in March, is also joining the women's single. In the men's event, Noah Kallan and Fabio Zauser have completed the season's preparations with the senior national team.

Mixed premiere

One of the highlights of the season will be the World Championships in Whistler at the beginning of February 2025. In addition to the new Mixed World Cup, in which a man and a woman compete in the singles and a men's and women's doubles team form a team, the athletes can expect a packed program with a total of nine World Cup races. The Mixed World Cup celebrates its premiere this season and will also play an important role at the 2025 World Championships.

The Austrian head coach Christian Eigentler is confident: “The team has worked very ambitiously over the summer. Now it's time to take the momentum into the ice training and gather first impressions. We have a busy program ahead of us and hope for good weather to prepare optimally.”

FIL race calendar 2024/2025:

November 30 – December 1, 2024: EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR)
December 7-8, 2024: EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Innsbruck-Igls (AUT)
December 14-15, 2024: EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Oberhof (GER)
January 04-05, 2025: EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Sigulda (LAT)
January 11-12, 2025: EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Altenberg (GER)
January 18-19, 2025: European Championships and EBERSPAECHER World Cup in Winterberg (GER)
February 6-8, 2025: FIL World Championships in Whistler (CAN)
February 15-16, 2025: EBERSPAECHER World Cup/PyeongChang (KOR)
February 22-23, 2025: EBERSPAECHER World Cup/Yanqing (CHN)

EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW:

December 8, 2024 World Cup/Innsbruck-Igls (AUT)
December 15, 2024 World Cup/Oberhof (GER)
January 5, 2025 World Cup/Sigulda (LAT)
January 12, 2025 World Cup/Altenberg (GER)
January 19, 2025 World Cup/Winterberg (GER)
February 23,2025 World Cup/Yanqing (CHN)

EBERSPAECHER Mixed Events presented by SKECHERS:

December 1st, 2024: World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR)
January 26, 2025: World Cup in Oberhof (GER)
February 16, 2025: World Cup/PyeongChang (KOR)

Photos: Lillehammer Olympiaparken and ÖRV/Ebermann