FIL – International Luge Federation
Sigulda, Latvia (ots)
When this weekend the luge elite start for the second time in a row on the artificial ice track in Sigulda, Latvia, it will not only be about World Cup points. In addition to the 5th EBERSPÄCHER World Cup, the 54th FIL European Championships will also be held on January 14th and 15th in the so-called race-in-race mode. Non-European nations take part in the World Cup, but are not counted for the European title fights. The races are also the last showdown before the FIL World Championships in Oberhof (GER), which start two weeks later on January 26, 2023.
116 athletes from 19 nations will start in Latvia. 29 women and 30 men registered in singles, as well as eight women and 18 men in doubles. In addition to the World Cup races, the third of six team relays as part of the EBERSPÄCHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW is on the program on Sunday. There will be ten team relays at the start.
At last year’s European Championship title fights in St. Moritz, the women’s Olympic champion Natalie Geisenberger (GER) won ahead of Madeleine Egle (AUT) and Elina Ieva Vitola (LAT). Austria’s Wolfgang Kindl will have a hard time defending his title in the men’s category. He won in Switzerland ahead of Kristers Aparjods (LAT) and Nico Gleirscher (AUT) but didn’t manage at all on the track last weekend. In the men’s doubles, Eggert/Benecken (GER) won the European Championship race ahead of their teammates Wendl/Arlt and the Latvians Bots/Plume. In the end, Team Latvia won the team relay ahead of Germany and Russia.
Hosts Latvia used their home field advantage last weekend and won four out of five World Cup races. After the double wins by Anda Upite and Sanija Ozolina as well as Martins Bots and Roberts Plume, Kristers Aparjods celebrated in the men’s singles and then with Team Latvia in the team relay. Second in the women’s race, Elina Ieva Vitola rounded off Latvia’s best World Cup result to date.
Farewell run by the Sics brothers – former European champions and three-time Olympic medal winners say goodbye to the ice track
On the Saturday before the doubles European Championships, the local heroes Andris and Juris Sics will present the farewell run to their successful careers as forerunners. In doubles, the now 37-year-old Latvian Andris Sics and his brother Juris won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the bronze medal in Sochi in 2014, as well as bronze in the team relay. At the 2018 European Luge Championships on the home track in Sigulda, Latvia, the Sics brothers took second place in doubles and at the 41st European Championships in 2008 in Cesana (ITA) they became European champions with the Latvian team. Andris Sics has been working for the International Federation FIL as Technical Director since this season. His older brother Juris is a coach at the Italian FA.
Geisenberger, Pavlichenko and Eggert/Benecken EM leaders
Olympic champion Natalie Geisenberger (GER), who is expecting her second child these days, leads with five European championship titles and three bronze medals in the all-time European Championship statistics ahead of Tatyana Ivanova (RUS), who is not eligible to start this season, with five European Championship titles and two silver medals each. and bronze medals. Of the currently active athletes, Dajana Eitberger follows in 15th place with one title and two bronze medals.
In the men’s category, the leader of the European Championship is Semen Pavlichenko from Russia. The former world champion has won four times and won a silver medal at the European Championships. Felix Loch (GER) won three times, won one silver and two bronze medals, and Dominik Fischnaller (ITA) has one European title and two bronze medals to his credit.
In the European Championship ranking in men’s doubles, Eggert/Benecken lead with four titles and two silver and one bronze medal. Their German teammates Wendl/Arlt have won the European Championship three times, six silver medals and one bronze medal. In women’s doubles, only junior European championships have been held so far, which the young Latvians Ziedina/Zvilna won last year in Bludenz.
Schedule & TV broadcasts 5th EBERSPÄCHER Toboggan World Cup and
54th FIL European Championship in Sigulda (LAT):
Local start time (CET/CET)
Friday January 13, 2023
09:00 (08:00) Nations Cup
2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.) Practice seeded group
Saturday January 14, 2023
10:00 am (09:00 am) Men’s doubles, 1st heat
10:45 am (09:45 am) Women’s doubles, 1st heat
11:30 am (10:30 am) Men’s doubles, 2nd heat
12:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m.) Women’s doubles, 2nd heat
1:10 p.m. (12:10 p.m.) Men, 1st heat
2:35 p.m. (1:35 p.m.) Men, 2nd heat
Sunday 15 January 2023
10:15 a.m. (09:15 a.m.) Women, 1st heat
11:45 a.m. (10:45 a.m.) Women, 2nd heat
1:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m.) Team relay
All information is provided without warranty!
Press contact:
International Luge Federation
Margit Dengler couple
Communications Manager
Mobile +49 179 459 66 30
Email: [email protected]
Original content from: FIL – International Luge Federation, transmitted by news aktuell
