Deutschnofen (ck) - Four wins in four races is Patrick Pigneter’s output so far, but his motivation to win is unbroken: „Now I will try to win all six races, we will see if this is possible. The kick is always the same, you have to give it all to stand on top of the podium. Especially a shorter track like here does not allow any mistakes”, said the Italian, who will most likely win the overall world cup for a seventh consecutive time. His strongest opponent comes from his own team: Hannes Clara finished second for the third time in a row and presents himself in top shape. His goal is clearly defined: “To beat Patrick”. But he also says: “I am totally satisfied with my performance here. Especially after my crash in the training run on Friday, this second place means a lot to me. It is proof of my good form right now, even though I lack some training time because of my job.” Also Michael Scheikl (AUT), who after an already good season finally claimed a spot on the podium, sees some room for improvement with his training. “Today I had two good runs instead only one. I really like the track here and I had no problems to adjust to the conditions here.” He is certain about why he has been the best Austrian so far in most races and now secured the first season podium finish for Austria: “I changed all my equipment prior to the season, basically I made a 180 degree turn. I even added some handmade parts to my sled. I think I took all the experience of the last two years when I was way behind and turned it into a new sled. I know that I have some room with my bodily condition. I still have reserves”, he promises. The secret in the equipment sees Renate Gietl (ITA) when she looks at Ekatharina’s incredible performance: “Her sled sits differently on the track, all we can do is try and test different things. Right now Ekatharina is unreachable, so I am satisfied with my results”, said the four times runner up, always behind Lavrentjeva. Indeed the Russian slides in her own league these days, with her final time she would have been fourth in the men’s race. If she will really retire at the end of this season is still unclear: “It depends on my job situation. If I get a good job in Russia, I will quit. I have to think about my professional career, I cannot be away for four months every winter. If I don’t get a job, I will be here for the 2013 World Championships,” said Lavrentjeva, who holds a degree in sports sciences and as a sports teacher. The first place behind Lavrentjeva and Gietl went to Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) once again. “In fact the third place is the one which is the most contested one, the first two places are reserved”, said Lanthaler who had her first career world cup podium finish in Deutschnofen back in 2009. “It means a lot to me to be back on the podium, also when I think of Russia”, she said, knowing that not all Italian girls will make the trip to Siberia. In the strong Italian women’s team are more medal contenders than start slots in the world cup or the European Championships in Novouralsk. The world cup will take a two-week’s break now and give the center stage to the juniors. Next weekend the junior world championships will be held in Latsch in South Tyrol (ITA). Afterwards the WÜRZ Energy world cup will move to Russia for its fifth station and the European Championships. Final Results World Cup Women (17): 1. Ekatharina LAVRENTJEVA (RUS), 0:54,90(1), 0:54,61(1), 1:49,51 2. Renate GIETL (ITA), 0:55,43(2), 0:55,39(2), 1:50,82 3. Evelin LANTHALER (ITA), 0:56,12(3), 0:55,76(3), 1:51,88 4. Melanie SCHWARZ (ITA), 0:56,26(4), 0:56,50(6), 1:52,76 5. Melanie BATKOWSKI (AUT), 0:56,47(5), 0:56,36(4), 1:52,83 6. Tamara SCHWARZ (ITA), 0:56,69(6), 0:56,38(5), 1:53,07 7. Tina UNTERBERGER (AUT), 1:53,57 8. Michaela MAURER (GER), 1:53,82 9. Ludmila AKSENENKO (RUS), 1:55,32 10. Marlies WAGNER (AUT), 1:55,67 Final Results World Cup Men (34): 1. Patrick PIGNETER (ITA), 0:54.05(1), 0:54,08(1), 1:48,13 2. Hannes CLARA (ITA), 0:54,27(2), 0:54,22(2),1:48,49 3. Michael SCHEIKL (AUT), 0:54,69(3), 0:54,76(3), 1:49,45 4. Alex GRUBER (ITA), 0:54,96(4), 0:54,93(4), 1:49,89 5. Patrick SALCHER (AUT), 0:55,04(7), 0:55,10(5), 1:50,14 6. Thomas KAMMERLANDER (AUT), 0:55,00(5), 0:55,26(9), 1:50,26 7. Stefan GRUBER (ITA), 0:55,11(8), 0:55,18(7), 1:50,29 8. Georg MAURER (GER), 0:55,00(5), 0:55,51(11), 1:50,51 9. Adam JEDRZEJKO (POL), 1:50,60 10. Gerald KAMMERLANDER (AUT), 1:50,73 11. Robert BATKOWSKI (AUT), 1:50,88 12. Juri TALIKH (RUS), 1:50,91 13. Kaj JOHNSON (CAN), 1:51,30 14. Florian CLARA (ITA), 1:51,37 21. John GIBSON (CAN), 1:53,81 World Cup Rankings (4/6): Women: 1. Ekatharina LAVRENTJEVA (RUS) 400 Punkte 2. Renate GIETL (ITA) 340 3. Melanie SCHWARZ (ITA) 250 4. Evelin LANTHALER (ITA) 190 5. Tina UNTERBERGER (AUT) 186 6. Ludmila AKSENENKO (RUS) 161 7. Marlies WAGNER (AUT) 160 8. Tamara SCHWARZ (ITA) 155 9. Veronika NACHMANN (GER) 139 10. Michaela MAURER (GER) 136 Men: 1. Patrick PIGNETER (ITA) 400 Punkte 2. Hannes CLARA (ITA) 255 3. Alex GRUBER (ITA) 247 4. Michael SCHEIKL (AUT) 236 5. Rudi RESCH (ITA) 176 6. Florian CLARA (ITA) 164 7. Robert BATKOWSKI (AUT) 126 8. Stanislav KOVSHIK (RUS) 134 9. Thomas KAMMERLANDER (AUT) 106 10. Patrick SALCHER (AUT) 150 11. Gernot SCHWAB (AUT) 144 12. Juri TALIKH (RUS) 140 20. Kaj JOHNSON (CAN) 81 28. John GIBSON (CAN) 52