Very competitive luge winter season in store

Berchtesgaden (RWH) Never before in the 41-year history of the World Cup has there been such a hotly anticipated luge season. All the indications are that this could be the most exciting winter season of all time in the three World Cup luge disciplines. It is even proving difficult to predict the Viessmann Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW.

Things will be very different this season as a result of the announcement by Natalie Geisenberger (GER), the most successful luger of all time, that she is taking time out to have a baby. The same is true of her compatriot and Olympic silver medallist Dajana Eitberger. This has suddenly created a vacancy at the top of the women’s event which is likely to be filled by last year’s crown princess Julia Taubitz (GER), the USA’s Summer Britcher (third overall the past two seasons) and Emily Sweeney (World Championship bronze medallist in 2019), and Russia’s three-time European Champion Tatyana Ivanova.

In the men’s event there are more than half a dozen potential winners. They include the Russians Semen Pavlichenko (defending World Cup champion) and Roman Repilov (World Cup silver medallist), Germany’s record-breaking World Champion Felix Loch in his 13th season, and the Austrian squad featuring Olympic Champion David Gleirscher, former World Champion Wolfgang Kindl, and Sprint World Champion Jonas Müller and World Champion runner-up Reinhard Egger. And Latvia’s young gun Kristers Aparjods cannot be ruled out either.

In the doubles, it looks like a three-way battle between Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken, Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (all GER) and Thomas Steu/Lorenz Koller (AUT). Germany’s stranglehold on the Team Relay was broken last year when the Russian squad won the World Championship and Italy secured the European title.