Lillehammer (pps) The Challenge Cup returns to its origins: The elimination event was launched in Lillehammer, Norway, on November 12, 1999. At that time, ten years ago, the winners were Sylke Otto of Germany, Italy's Armin Zoeggeler and the US team with Mark Grimmette-Brian Martin. And now in the Olympic 2009-2010 season, the "birthplace" Lillehammer will stage the second event of the Tiscover Challenge Cup. And again, the world's top lugers will compete in the event that will start on Saturday, December 12, 2009 (heats as of 08:30 hrs).

The season's kick-off in Calgary, Canada, was all about the German luge team. The protégés of Germany's head coach Norbert Loch - Tatjana Huefner, David Moeller and Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch - took the victories in the three different disciplines. Two-time World champion Huefner kept team mate Natalie Geisenberger in check in the final of the women's singles at the "Canada Olympic Park" and Canada's World Championship fourth-placed Alex Gough earned the third position. Winner in the men's singles was two-time World champion David Moeller, the 2001 World junior champion in Lillehammer, with just one thousandth of a second ahead of two-time Olympic champion Armin Zoeggeler of Italy. Third place went to Russia's Albert Demchenko who defeated Germany's World champion Felix Loch in the "small final". The victories in the women's and men's singles are each worth a prize money of 2,000 Euro.

Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch, 2002 Olympic champions, earned a prize money of 2,400 Euro when they defeated Italy's team with Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber in the doubles final. Third place in the double-seater event went to Andris and Juris Sics of Latvia.