Oberhof (FIL) After the World Cup is before the World Cup. This weekend, from  February 16 to 18, 2024, the world’s top luge athletes will once again be hunting for  points in the Oberhof ice track at the 7th EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup. A total  of 90 sleds from 19 nations will compete in the second World Cup in Oberhof. A total  of 122 athletes have registered, including 29 women’s and 29 men’s singles as well  as 11 women’s and 21 men’s doubles. In addition to the World Cup races, the second  Sprint World Cup of the season will be held on Sunday. The qualification process  takes place during the World Cup race. The top 15 lugers are also eligible to compete  in the sprint on Sunday. 

Three Sprint World Cups are on the program this season. At the season opener on  the selective Olympic track in Lake Placid, Julia Taubitz and Max Langenhan (both  GER) triumphed in the singles as well as Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT) and  Latvians Martins Bots and Robert Plume in the doubles. They lead the corresponding  Sprint World Cup rankings. None of last year’s winners managed to defend their titles  in the sprint competitions at the 52nd FIL Luge World Championships in Altenberg (GER). However, this was largely due to retirements and external conditions, as the  ice had suffered greatly in plus seven degrees and sometimes heavy rain. While Julia  Taubitz (GER) took the second sprint title of her career in the women’s singles,  Austria’s David Gleirscher triumphed in the men’s event. Latvian Martins Bots, who  together with his partner Roberts Plume were the fastest men’s doubles, spoke of  luck with the starting number. In the women’s doubles, the Italians Andrea Vötter and  Marion Oberhofer came out on top. 

Taubitz, Langenhan, Degenhardt/Rosenthal and Steu/Kindl lead the  overall World Cup standings. 

After seven of twelve World Cup races, a look at the overall standings shows that the  action remains exciting. Julia Taubitz is the only woman to have stood on the podium  at all World Cups and leads with 624 points ahead of Madeleine Egle (AUT, 542  points) and team-mate Anna Berreiter (417 points). In the men’s event, Max  Langenhan is aiming for his first victory in the overall World Cup. The 24-year-old  from Thuringia is the only one to have finished on the podium in all races, five of

them at the top. He is clearly in the lead with 655 points ahead of Jonas Müller (AUT,  479 points) and Kristers Aparjods (LAT, 470 points). It remains particularly exciting in  the doubles: In the men’s doubles, the Austrians Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl  

extend their lead in the overall World Cup after their victory in Oberhof with 586  points, followed by Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER, 475 p.) and Martins Bots/Roberts  Plume (LAT, 470 p.). In the women’s doubles, Germany’s Jessica  Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal took the lead again after their fourth win of the  season and are just ahead of Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer (ITA, 555 points) and  Selina Egle/Lara Kipp (AUT, 484 points) on 565 points. 

Capricious weather in the ice track 

For the second week in a row, the international luge elite had to struggle with  changing weather conditions at last weekend’s World Cup. Despite all the efforts of  the track workers, it became clear in the men’s race on Sunday that it was going to  be a bib poker race in high temperatures and that those starting later would be at a  considerable disadvantage. As a result, some of the top athletes even deliberately  slowed down their first run to secure an earlier starting place for the second run. This  tactic did not always work and caused a lot of discussion off the ice channel. 

„When the weather is like today, it’s never really fair. In terms of the regulations, we  actually had the opportunity to make changes. If we had changed it in the first run of  the men’s race so that the best athletes started at the beginning, it would have meant  that they would have started at the very end in the second run. We saw scenes that  weren’t so nice because some athletes slowed down. If they had raced right at the  start, it would have been even worse because they would still have raced at the end  in the second run,“ FIL Sports Director Matthias Böhmer explained in an TV interview  with German ARD. „In principle, I’m against juggling with the rules, because with an  offside rule in soccer, you don’t decide one way this week and another the next. We  have various authorities in the international federation, and dealing with such weather  conditions is definitely an issue that we will discuss in the relevant commissions after  the season.“

Quotes: 

Max Langenhan (GER): „I really didn’t think I’d make it onto the podium in the  second run in Oberhof. We also slowed down a bit in the first run and it still wasn’t  enough. We were victims of the weather on our home track today, but that’s just the  way it is. I still think it’s great that Kristers won. I think he really, really deserved it. Of  course, it’s not fair to slow yourself down, even if you could always claim that the sled  broke out or the ice was slippery. I think we need to think about changing the starting  order in the future so that all the top athletes are together. It’s a bit of a shame for the  sport, but in the end it’s always the same people at the top. It’s not as if one of the  smaller nations won here today. As far as the overall World Cup is concerned,  nothing is certain. You can get injured in training or have a bad race, but I have a  small buffer. There are still plenty of races to come, a lot can happen, and the lead  isn’t that big.“ (Source: ARD) 

Felix Loch (GER): „It was more poker than luge today. I don’t often criticize, but  today they really should have thought about letting the seeded athletes go first in the  first run. That’s the general demand from us top athletes. I think it’s a bit ridiculous if 

you have to slow down in the first run in order to have a good starting number in the  second run. We wanted to get to the bottom as quickly as possible here and not to  place after the first run. It’s obviously annoying, also for the spectators, but it’s great  that Max still came in at the front. I’m definitely happy with seventh place under the  circumstances. The FIL should think about how to improve this. That would be  

relatively easy, and the regulations would even allow the seeded riders to ride away  at the front in really, really bad weather conditions. That could have been done today.  We saw it last week in Altenberg, next week it looks like that again – so I hope they  learn something and react to it. As far as Max is concerned, I assume that he will  continue to ride at the front in the future. We have another race here next week and  the sprint, so there are another 200 points up for grabs. Max will score a lot of points  there and then he should bring it home in Sigulda. After all, he showed last year that  he’s good on the track. I would be really happy if he won the overall World Cup this  year, he would have more than earned it after this season.“ (Source: ARD) 

Kristers Aparjods (LAT): „That’s fine with me. I’m an outdoor athlete and the  conditions change. You can’t change that. There are such and such races. I will cope  with the rules. I don’t make the rules. Last Sunday at the World Cup in Oberhof, I  didn’t expect to be so fast in the second run. The win is nice and I’m very happy. I  didn’t slow down either. And things will be different again another time. That’s the  sport.“ 

David Gleirscher (AUT): „I’m totally happy with the result. Finishing on the podium in  a race like this also requires a bit of luck. The conditions were very questionable, I  think it’s about time the international federation came up with some solutions for the  future, so that maybe the first run could be organized a little differently. I was a bit too  slow in the relay, we tried a few things with the equipment, but it didn’t work out so  well. Nevertheless, we are very happy with third place.“ 

Jessica Degenhardt (GER): „These are really tears of joy today, pure relief. The last  three weeks in Altenberg weren’t easy for us and we tried to fight our way back here.  It’s a huge relief that it turned out like this. We doubted ourselves in Altenberg with  that stupid turn nine. Today everything went great again in the second run and we  also managed to find ourselves a bit.“ 

Norbert Loch, Head Coach Germany: „Of course it’s great for us to be able to race  in front of a crowd like this here in Oberhof. That’s why it’s even more important that 

we have our German World Cups. It’s also always an event here for the international  federation and for all the athletes, and that simply makes luge more fun. Apart from  that, the weather meant that a certain amount of tactics was required, especially in  the men’s event. It was clearly a start-number-race in this large field. Well, in the end  

there are always those at the front who are also at the front in the World Cup. We got  off lucky with Max’s 2nd place. With a little more luck, we could have done better.  Speaking of luck: we certainly had it in the team relay. The Latvians made a mistake  in the straight away, which probably tipped the scales. It was a great performance by  our team, who showed that they can do it. “ 

Christian Eigentler, Head Coach Austria: „We set ourselves the goal of podium  places in all disciplines this weekend and achieved this goal again, which is not a  matter of course given the circumstances and makes us absolutely happy. We hadn’t  originally planned to do this, but due to the progress of the men’s race we were  almost forced to take a tactical approach. A circumstance that neither our athletes  nor the coaching team approved of. On the other hand, we had no other choice if we  wanted to keep up with the music. We must not forget that we are practicing an  outdoor sport. If something really needs to change in the regulations, we all need to  think about solutions. There is a lot of discussion, which is positive as a general  principle, but concrete ideas are needed. We need to work on this together.“ 

Schedule & TV coverage 

7. EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Oberhof 2 (GER) 

Local start time (=CET/MEZ) 

Friday, February 16, 2024 

09:00 Uhr Nations Cup 

14:30 Uhr Training seeded group 

Saturday, 17. February 2024 

09:15 Men’s Doubles, 1st run 

10:03 Women’s Doubles, 1st run 

11:00 Men’s Doubles, 2nd run  

11:51 Women’s Doubles, 2nd run  

13:15 Men’s Singles, 1st run  

14:48 Men’s Singles, 2nd run

Sunday, February 18, 2024 

09:30 Women’s Singles, 1st run 

10:55 Women’s Singles, 2nd run 

12:30 Sprint Men’s Singles 

13:20 Sprint Men’s Doubles 

13:50 Sprint Women’s Doubles 

14:35 Sprint Women’s Singles 

Subject to change without notice! 

Live TV-Broadcast: fil-luge.org/en/multimedia/eberspaecher-world-cup-29 

Altenberg (FIL) After the 52nd FIL Luge World Championships is before the EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup. The team led by OC head Jens Morgenstern  welcomes the luge elite once again to the 5th EBERSPAECHER World Cup this  weekend on the SachsenEnergie Eiskanal in Altenberg. From February 2 to 4, 2024,  World Cup points will be at stake on the challenging artificial ice track in Altenberg’s  Kohlgrund.  

95 sleds from 18 nations will compete in Altenberg. There are 29 women’s and 32  men’s singles as well as 13 women’s and 21 men’s doubles. 

In addition to the World Cup races, the fourth of six team relays as part of the  EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW is on the agenda on  Sunday. 

„Having an EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup directly after the World  Championships is not a problem for us from an organizational point of view, because  the infrastructure is in place and we can build on it,“ Jens Morgenstern, Head of OC  and Managing Director of Wintersport Altenberg (Osterzgebirge) GmbH, explains.  „Two years ago, we were in a situation where we first organized a Bobsleigh &  Skeleton World Cup, then the Luge World Cup and then another Bobsleigh &  Skeleton World Cup the week after. That was awful, and we as well as the  international federations have learned from it. We have a team of around 150 people,  including many volunteers who have been supporting us at the events for many  years. Whether it’s the World Championships or the World Cup – it makes no  difference to the motivation and commitment of our volunteers, and I’m very grateful  for that.“ Together with his team, he has organized three World Championships in the  last five years. 

In order to gain some distance after two weeks in Altenberg, many teams used the  two training-free days for excursions. Some explored the Saxon capital of Dresden,  while others such as Team Ukraine, Sweden, Argentina, Italy, USA and some  Austrians spent their free time in the Czech capital of Prague.

 

Austria most successful World Championship nation 

More than 160 athletes from 21 nations competed at the 52nd FIL Luge World  Championships in Altenberg. Nine World Championship titles were awarded, as well  as four U23 World Championship titles. Six nations won precious metal at the World  Championships. The most successful nation was Austria with four gold, three silver  and two bronze medals, their best ever World Championship result. The German  team won a total of seven World Championship medals: three gold, two silver and  two bronze. Latvia and Italy each won another World Championship title. Athletes  from the USA also won one silver and one bronze medal and Switzerland won a  silver medal in the Women’s Sprint with Natalie Maag. 

In the U23 classification, most of the medals went to Germany – two out of four  possible World Championship titles and one bronze medal were won by Norbert  Loch’s team. He was responsible for the luge world championships as German head  coach the last time. 

Taubitz, Langenhan, Degenhardt/Rosenthal and Steu/Kindl lead the overall  World Cup standings 

The upcoming races mark the halfway point in this year’s FIL EBERSPÄCHER Luge  World Cup. After the races in Altenberg, there are still two World Cups in Oberhof  (GER) and Sigulda (LAT) each on the season calendar. The World Cup races so far,  as well as the World Championships, have shown that the international world elite  has moved closer together and that the season remains exciting. After five of twelve  World Cup races in the World Championship winter, it is worth taking a look at the  overall World Cup standings. Julia Taubitz, Max Langenhan and the women’s  doubles Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal (all Germany) as well as the  doubles Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl are currently leading the World Cup standings. 

Julia Taubitz, sprint and team World Champion and Vice World Champion in singles  2024, is the most consistent female luge athlete in singles in this World Cup season,  with two victories and three second places. After the successful home World  Championships, the 27-year-old from Saxony is concentrating on winning her third  overall World Cup in a row. Team-mate Max Langenhan, World Champion in men’s  singles and with the team as well as Vice World Champion in the sprint, is this  season’s top performer and is aiming for his first overall World Cup victory. The 24- year-old from Thuringia is the only one who has finished on the podium in all races,  four of them at the top. The men’s doubles are particularly exciting, with five different winners in five World Cup races. In addition to World Championship bronze medalists Wendl/Arlt, who have finished on the podium four times so far, Vice World  Champions Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl (AUT) have also impressed with one World  Cup victory and three second places. After the disappointing World Championships,  Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER) want to show that they can do  better in the World Cup on Jessica’s home track. They have won the last three World  Cups, each time ahead of sprint World Champion Andrea Voetter/Marion Oberhofer  (ITA). 

World Cup standings short: 

Women’s Singles: 

1) Julia Taubitz (GER), 455 

2) Madeleine Egle (AUT), 415 

3) Ashley Farquharson (USA), 301 

Men’s Singles: 

1) Max Langenhan (GER), 470 

2) Jonas Mueller (AUT), 380 

3) Nico Gleirscher (AUT), 331 

Women’s Doubles: 

1) Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER), 410  

2) Andrea Voetter/Marion Oberhofer (ITA), 370 

3) Selina Egle/Lara Kipp (AUT), 364 

Men’s Doubles: 

1) Thomas Steu/ Wolfgang Kindl (AUT), 401 

2) Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER), 380 

3) Martins Bots/Roberts Plume (LAT), 350 

Team-Relay 

1) Team Germany, 285 

2) Team Austria, 270 

3) Team USA, 200

 

 

Quotes: 

Andrea Vötter (ITA): „We went to Prague for a day after the World Championships  to come down and refocus. When you see that we now have still so many World  Cups but only three tracks left, it’s honestly pretty boring. It’s a shame because there  are so many tracks that aren’t used for the World Cup. Of course, the double World  Cups in Oberhof and Sigulda theoretically eliminate the hassle of traveling, but many  nations still go home in between, when it is not so far away. You can’t speak of a real  World Cup calendar. If you look at the IBSF calendar for bobsleigh and skeleton, who  are using tracks all over the world this year, it’s a real shame that we don’t have that.  The first two weeks in Altenberg with the ITW and World Championships went by  pretty quickly, but after the World Championships we were exhausted for a short  while and it’s more difficult to get motivated for the next World Cup.“ 

Natalie Maag (SUI): „Silver medal in the sprint at the World Championships. It’s  unbelievable and is only slowly sinking in. It was a tough week for me at the World  Championships. I knew I could race fast here, as I would have won with my time at  the German Championships in December. Last week was really tough with the  weather and I almost crashed in the sprint qualifying. That’s why I thought I’d just go  for it and take the run for Sunday. Ending up with a medal is just mega. The race  calendar after the World Championships is rather boring for us, but for me there are  only cool tracks left. I’m looking forward to it. I was in Oberhof after the ITW until the  World Championships to briefly escape. After the World Championships I went to Prague with the Austrians. That won’t give rise to cabin fever. Two weeks in Oberhof  is good for me, as I have my own room there, and I’m really looking forward to it.“

 

Kristers Aparjods (LAT): „In my head I’m always going for gold, but sometimes it  doesn’t go the way I want it to. I had a pretty good run in the World Championship  sprint despite some minor mistakes in the upper part of the track, but that’s the sport  of luge. You have to be very stable, consistent and clean in every run to get a perfect  run and be at the top. It wasn’t a perfect run in the team relay, but I’m happy with the  

third place and the World Championship medal. Altenberg and I have a special  relationship. I competed in one of my first World Cup races here. I love this track. It’s  long, difficult and you have to stay focused in every turn and yet relaxed all the way  to the finish line. The weather at the World Championships wasn’t so good, but I’m  looking forward to the World Cup and hope to finish on the podium again.“ 

Zane Kaluma (LAT): „The World Championships were great for us. We’re a  completely new team, we’ve only been competing together since December. It’s just  crazy. Now we’re here and we’ve won two World Championship silver medals in  doubles! However, we won’t take part in the World Cup in Altenberg because I’m  going to the Junior World Championships in Lillehammer (NOR) to compete there in  the singles. That means Anda now has three weeks off, because we won’t be  competing again until the home World Cup in Sigulda.“ 

David Gleirscher (AUT): „I seem to be the man for the big races. My team-mates  told me in the lead-up to the World Championships that things weren’t going so well  for me in the World Cup, but that I would be back at the World Championships. It  worked out really well in the sprint. I really like the track in Altenberg, I was  celebrating my first and so far only World Cup victory here. I always feel extremely  comfortable here on the sled. Three weeks in Altenberg is quite a long time on the  same track, but generally I wouldn’t mind doing another race here.“ 

Thomas Steu (AUT): „Losing to a team-mate hurts less. It hardly hurts at all. I  always get a bit upset when I make mistakes which don’t happen in training. But  that’s competitive sport. We’ve won silver at the World Championships twice, and  when team-mates win, it’s just awesome. We went home after the World  Championships and are now motivated for the weekend – after all, the overall World  Cup is at stake for us.“ 

Wolfgang Kindl (AUT): „My foot is feeling better, I was able to block out the pain  quite well in the doubles race. We could have done better, but the lower part of the  second run was very uneven, which hurts a bit, but a double victory for Austria in 

 

Altenberg on a German track – that’s brilliant. It’s of course a bit of a shame that the  World Cup is almost only held on German tracks and is less international. We’ll take  it as it is. Oberhof is a track on which we can perform well, we’ll see about Sigulda,  but we’ve got our sled set-up so well under control that we’ll manage it this time. We  are currently leading the overall World Cup and that is obviously our next goal.“ 

Sam Edney, High Performance Director Luge Canada: „We are competing in the  World Cup with a very young team and have decided to skip the World Cup in  Altenberg. We’re going to Oberhof instead to complete a few more training runs  there. Some of my athletes don’t even know the Oberhof track yet, so it’s important  for us to gain experience there in an unhurried manner and gain competition  hardness for the two World Cups in Oberhof. We will then take part in the first World  Cup in Sigulda before flying back to Canada.“ 

Lubomir Mick, Head coach Team USA: „The World Championships were a success  for us. We are very happy about the medals in the team relay, the women’s doubles  and the two doubles competitions at the U23 World Championships. Being in  Altenberg for three weeks is quite a long time, but we are looking forward to the  World Cup because this track is always good for surprises. As we saw at the World  Championships, the track is very demanding. While some coaches went home for a  short time, we sent our athletes to Prague on the two days off so that they could clear  their heads and start the next few weeks with renewed energy.“ 

Schedule & TV coverage 

5. EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Altenberg (GER) 

Local start time (CET/MEZ) 

Friday, February 02, 2024 

09:00 Nations Cup 

14:30 Training seeded group 

Saturday, February 03, 2024 

08:40 Men’s Doubles, 1st run 

09:55 Men’s Doubles, 2nd run 

11:15 Men’s Singles, 1st run  

12:55 Men’s Singles, 2nd run 

14:30 Women’s Doubles, 1st run 

15:30 Women’s Doubles, 2nd run  

Sunday, February 04, 2024 

08:25 Uhr Women’s Singles, 1st run 

09:50 Uhr Women’s Singles, 2nd run 

12:00 Uhr Team Relay 

Subject to change without notice! 

Live TV-Broadcast: fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-31

Winterberg, Germany – The stage is set for the 3rd EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, slated to take place from January 5 to 7, 2024, at the VELTIN Ice Arena in Winterberg. The event promises an enthralling showcase of skill and speed, with 125 sleds from 22 nations competing across various categories.

The World Cup in Winterberg marks a significant point in the luge season, with participants competing in men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and team relays. Notably, Julia Taubitz and Max Langenhan from Germany, along with Austrian doubles teams Selina Egle/Lara Kipp and Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl, currently lead the World Cup rankings.

Max Langenhan’s performance has been particularly outstanding, securing his ninth consecutive World Cup victory this season. His German teammate Julia Taubitz also impresses with two victories and a second-place finish. In the women’s doubles, Egle/Kipp lead the rankings after two victories at Lake Placid.

In the run-up to the Winterberg event, national championships in Germany, Latvia, and Italy showcased the depth of talent in the luge community. Felix Loch’s victory at the German Championship marked his fifteenth national title, while in Latvia, Kristers Aparjods and Kendija Aparjode claimed the men’s and women’s titles, respectively. The Italian Championships saw victories for Verena Hofer and Leon Felderer.

• Robert Fegg, Head Coach of Team Canada, expressed the challenges faced due to limited training runs at Winterberg but remained hopeful for consistent performances.
• Christian Eigentler, Head Coach of Team Austria, shared their preparations and optimism for the upcoming races.
• Kurt Brugger, Head Coach of Team Italy, mentioned the struggles with flu and injuries but showed high hopes for the Winterberg event.
• Lubomir Mick, Head Coach of Team USA, highlighted their strategy for the Winterberg track and acknowledged the challenges posed by the weather.

The Winterberg World Cup is just a prelude to more thrilling competitions, with the 55th FIL Luge European Championships in Innsbruck and the 52nd FIL Luge World Championships in Altenberg on the horizon.

Fans worldwide can tune in to the live broadcast of the Winterberg World Cup on fil-luge.org, ensuring they don’t miss a moment of this thrilling event.

The 3rd EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Winterberg is more than just a competition; it’s a celebration of speed, skill, and international sportsmanship. As athletes from around the globe converge on the icy tracks of Winterberg, the anticipation and excitement are palpable. With seasoned champions and rising stars alike, this event promises to be a spectacular display of luge at its finest.