Johannes Ludwig comes out on top

Innsbruck-Igls (RWH): There was drama aplenty at the first men’s singles event in the Viessmann World Cup this season. The result of the race, which was held in Innsbruck-Igls, ended up coming down to the wire. Johannes Ludwig (GER) ultimately came out on top, though only by a fractional margin of just 0.098 seconds ahead of Dominik Fischnaller of Italy in second. Wolfgang Kindl (AUT) got the best time of the day on his incredible second run, which saw him soar up the rankings to finish in third. The win marked the second Viessmann World Cup victory for Ludwig, who won bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang (KOR).

At the end of the first heat, Johannes Ludwig was tied with the 2015 World Champion Semen Pavlichenko in the battle for first place. Ludwig managed to keep his nerve while the Russian athlete eventually fell back to fifth place. The Olympic Champion David Gleirscher (AUT) finished in fourth at his first appearance following his gold-winning performance in Korea. Felix Loch (GER), the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Champion in the men’s singles, finished in sixth.

Quotes

Johannes Ludwig (GER / bronze medallist at the 2018 Olympics, third in the 2013 World Championships):

“Before the start of the season, you never quite know where you stand, especially if you automatically qualify for the World Cup as a seeded athlete. Of course, it’s great to know that everything has come together for the opening race. It looks as though the Olympics have spurred us all on.”

Dominik Fischnaller (ITA / fourth place at the 2018 Olympics, third in the 2017 World Championships):

“Igls is a special place for me. I love to compete here. My family is here, there are lots of fans and it’s just 50 minutes away from home. My goal this season is to place consistently among the top six. However, in such a strong men’s field, a single mistake could send you back down to 20th place.” 

Wolfgang Kindl (AUT / 2017 World Champion, 2017 Sprint World Champion, bronze medallist at the 2015 and 2016 World Championships):

“I needed to pull out a second run like that. I raced with a real fire in my belly. The first heat didn’t work out at all, which is why I needed a second run like that.”