Record winner Prock would not begrudge Zoeggeler to tie his record
Innsbruck-Igls (pps) With the new season kicking off, the five-time World champion (1995, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005) has the record count of 49 individual and a total of nine overall victories in the Viessmann Luge World Cup to his credit. Just one additional victory and Zoeggeler will be able to catch up with record winner Markus Prock of Austria. “Armin fully deserves it to tie my record”, said Markus Prock, who collected two World Championship titles (1987 and 1996) and three Olympic medals (silver in 1992 and 1994 as well as bronze in 2002). Prock: “Armin is a great sportsman and he has contributed enormously to the sport of luge, especially in Italy. He’s a really great guy and despite his many victories he has always remained the same.”
But Zoeggeler is of course not only tempted to get at Prock’s record but also by the upcoming Worlds in Cesana at the end of January 2011 in front of a home crowd. After all, since its inauguration in 2005, the luger from South Tyrol is still unbeaten on the ice labyrinth in the Piedmont – apart from his 2006 Olympic title he also won the European gold medal in 2008 and celebrated another four World Cup victories in Cesana. “It’s one of my favourite tracks”, admits Zoeggeler.
Main opponents of the outstanding luger from Italy are Felix Loch, David Moeller (both of Germany) as well as Russia’s Albert Demchenko, runner-up on the overall World Cup rankings last year. By the way, the 38-year old Russian luger had the distinct pleasure to disrupt Zoeggeler’s winning series to eventually become overall champion in the 2004-2005 season.
Right behind Zoeggeler and Demchenko, Olympic champion Loch finished on third position in the World Cup rankings. But so far, he won more World Championship titles (2008, 2009) than Viessmann Luge World Cup events. Just once, in Altenberg in 2009, the 21-year old had made it onto the top step of the podium. Due to a hip inflammation Loch admittedly failed to participate in the preparatory training courses in Sigulda, Latvia, and Winterberg, Germany. However, not even this handicap seems to have any unsettling effects on him. Loch: “Perhaps this is a happy omen. So far, every time I had some aches and pains going into a new season, it worked out well in the end.”
Apart from Loch, David Moeller is one of the top favourites to achieve the overall World Cup title. Four times already, the Olympic silver medallist and two-time World champion (2004, 2007) finished runner-up behind Zoeggeler.
Austria continues to focus on its “young and wild” lugers with the Pfister brothers Daniel and Manuel as well as Wolfgang Kindl and Reinhard Egger. Canada hopes that Sam Edney will further continue his positive development and USA Luge cherishes hopes that Bengt Walden and the “triple M” – Chris Mazder, Joe Mortensen and Trent Matheson – will be successful.
