Whistler (pps) After an exciting weekend in Winterberg, Germany the Viessmann Luge World Cup series will now move to the two overseas events that will conclude the year 2013. At the same time, the two World Cup events in Whistler (Canada / December 6-7) and Park City (Utah, USA / December 13-14) are the last of the five qualifying events for the Olympic Games. The starting places for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (February 7-23, 2014), will be allocated subsequently.

Germany’s Chris Eißler surprisingly won the men’s singles in Winterberg - with a bit of luck and due to the weather conditions. The 20-year-old from Zwickau, 12th starter out of 32 participants, found the perfect racing line to take his first podium top spot in his first Viessmann Luge World Cup event. Eißler thus managed a feat that – with the exception of the very first winners at the inaugural World Cup events – surely remains unique in the 37-year-long history of the series. As a reward, the winner of the silver medal at the 2013 Junior European Championships in Oberhof (Germany) will compete at the World Cup stops in North America.

Russia’s biggest medal hopes, however, will not start at the overseas World Cup events. Tatiana Ivanova and Albert Demchenko, silver medal winners at the World Championships, who also earned a second place finish in the Team Event, prefer to put in training runs on the future Olympic track at the “Sanki Sliding Center”. But Russia will nevertheless be represented by a strong team at the North American events on the Olympic luge tracks in Vancouver (2010) and Salt Lake City (2002). Included is Demchenko’s daughter Victoria, who claimed a second place finish at the Junior World Cup in Altenberg (Germany).


Accordingly, Geisenberger took her big mistake at the start during the Team Relay in Winterberg in stride, even though it cost the German team their eighth consecutive victory. It would have been Germany’s 16th success in the Team Relay event. “Sorry guys…“ This is why Italy achieved the podium’s top spot at the 20th edition of the Viessmann Luge World Cup Team Relay. By the way, it was their third win while Canada’s national squad claimed one Team Relay victory (in Innsbruck-Igls in 2011-2012). After their disqualification in Winterberg, the Canadian team will surely be highly motivated back home in front of a home crowd.