Kristers Aparjods triumphs in his home race in Sigulda

Sigulda (FIL) Kristers Aparjods made use of his home advantage at the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Sigulda. Twice the 23-year-old Latvian set the best time on his home track and distanced Felix Loch (Germany) by 0.186 seconds. Third place went to Italy's Dominik Fischnaller (0.201 seconds back), who was tied for second place with Loch after the first run.

For Aparjods it was not only the second World Cup victory this season after Sochi, but also a great satisfaction. Two years ago he had not luged as well as he had hoped through the 1200-metre-long ice channel, and a year ago he missed all of it because of a broken leg. "This year I definitely wanted to get two good runs down," he said, beaming with joy. Which he succeeded in doing. However, this success only quenches his hunger for success for a short time. However, he does not want to tense up in the next races. "If I ride well, then the right results will come," said the 1.95 metre tall athlete. He was cheered on by his sister Kendija Aparjode. Family duplicity of events: The 25-year-old, also a luger, has to take a break this year because of a broken foot.

Felix Loch also breathed a sigh of relief. "It was important to be on the podium again," said the four-time Olympic champion. Only in the first two races in Beijing and Sochi he had managed this as second, after that no more. Before Christmas in Innsbruck he was absent because of a corona illness. "However, I never doubted that I would be able to compete at the top," he said confidently.

Dominik Fischnaller was also satisfied with his result. "I'm getting back into the swing of things in good time," said the South Tyrolean. Especially the second run was really good for him. Behind him World Champion Roman Repilov (Russia/0.393) and Nico Gleirscher (Austria/0.463) lined up. Semen Pavlichenko made a great comeback in the second run. Only in 14th place after the first run, the Russian, who holds the track record in 47.837 seconds, still improved to sixth place with the second best run time (48.393). Johannes Ludwig had several mistakes in each of his two runs. Nevertheless, the German was able to defend his lead in the overall World Cup with 705 points. Second is Wolfgang Kindl (Austria/ 590) ahead of Dominik Fischnaller (497).

Following the Men's Single Seater World Cup on Saturday, 8 January 2022, the 7th EBERSPÄCHER Doubles World Cup will take place from 13:30 (Latvian local time).

Detailed results of the 7th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Sigulda (LAT) can be found under the following link: https://www.fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-14