With the sensational win of Borut Kralj the RED BULL World Cup of Natural track Luge ended today in Olang, Italy. It was the first win of a Slovenian racer in a World Cup competition in this sport. Kralj, fourth after the first run, won ahead of Roland Kallan and Robert Batkowski (both AUT). The overall victory went to World Champion Batkowski ahead of Gerhard Pilz and Gerald Kallan (all AUT).

„It was more important for me to win the World Championships, because this is a competition which is held only every two years”, explained Batkowski later. He was lucky. His teammate an direct concurrent Gerald Kallan was leading after the first run, but finished with technical problems only on place five. “I had two wins in this season, but finishing the competition year in this way is not nice”, said Gerald Kallan. “Anyway. Next year, the European Championships will be held in my home place Hüttau, and then I will do better!”

The racers from Norway, Knut Solheim, 21st, and Kristian Roel, 24th, and the Swedish competitor Michael Tornquist, 27th , did well. For the Canadian team ends on Monday an eleven weeks long trip through Europe. Corey Pusey and colleagues spent the winter training and racing in the World Cup and lived between the races in South Tyrol, Italy. “Probably, we are doing the same thing next year again”, explained Pusey who is one of the favorites at the Nordamerican Championships next weekend in the USA.

Hard work and hard training was the way to success for Slovenian Borut Kralj. In the World Cup of Natural Track Luge (starting from the season 1992/93), 63 races of men’s competition were held. In the first 62, only Austrians and Italians were able to achieve wins (leader is Gerhard Pilz with 18 first ranks). “We will go there, were Kralj is. On the top”, Pusey said. He knows what to do: hard work, hard training.

Results men:

1. Borut Kralj (SLO) 1:09,61 (4), 1:09,21 (1) 2:18,82
2. Roland Kallan (AUT) 1:09,47 (2), 1:09,60 (4) 2:19,07
3. Robert Batkowski (AUT) 1:09,49 (3), 1:09,59 (3) 2:19,08
4. Anton Blasbichler (ITA) 1:09,78 (5), 1:09,53 (2) 2:19,31
5. Gerald Kallan (AUT) 1:09,05 (1), 1:10,36 (11) 2:19,41
6. Gerhard Pilz (AUT) 1:09,83 (6), 1:09,65 (5) 2:19,48
7. Gerald Kammerlander (AUT) 1:10,09 (9), 1:09,96 (6) 2:20,05
8. Martin Psenner (ITA) 1:09,87 (8), 1:10,28 (9) 2:20,15
9. Daniel Quitta (ITA) 1:10,39 (10), 1:10,22 (8) 2:20,61
10. Andreas Castiglioni (ITA) 1:10,62 (13), 1:10,04 (7) 2:20,66
18. Corey Pusey (CAN) 1:12,32 (19), 1:11,73 (18) 2:24,05
21. Knut Solheim (NOR) 1:12,82 (21), 1:12,88 (21) 2:25,70
22. John Gibson (CAN) 1:13,27 (23), 1:13,07 (22) 2:26,34
24. Kristian Roel (NOR) 1:13,88 (25), 1:14,33 (25) 2:28,21
27. Michael Tornquist (SWE) 1:15,86 (29), 1:15,78 (27) 2:31,64

Final overall standing:

1. Robert Batkowski (AUT) 410
2. Gerhard Pilz (AUT) 395
3. Gerald Kallan (AUT) 375
4. Anton Blasbichler (ITA) 325
5. Roland Kallan (AUT) 306
6. Ferdinand Hirzegger (AUT) 261
7. Florian Breitenberger (ITA) 250
8. Martin Psenner (ITA) 233
9. Andreas Castiglioni (ITA) 215
10. Gerald Kammerlander (AUT) 198
17. Corey Pusey (CAN) 110
20. John Gibson (CAN) 94

Egon Theiner
FIL Media Service