LATZFONS/LAZFONS. The men’s and the women’s final runs of the second GRM Group Luge World Cup in Latzfons/Lazfons (ITA) were held on Sunday, January 7th 2018. The Italian athletes were successful once more.

At the men’s event, Patrick Pigneter (ITA) won the race – it was his first World Cup victory since his triumph in Slovenia last season. No wonder, the Italian was in quite a good mood: “It’s a good feeling to finally stand on top of the podium again. Especially, because the race was tough, the first three athletes are very close together,” Pigneter referred to the strong competition at the men’s event. “Maybe my experience was the crucial factor today. In addition to that, the many spectators at the track really kept me motivated,” said the Italian, who considered the Lahnwiesen track in Latzfons/Lazfons as one of his favorites. In the end, Pigneter was 24 hundredths faster than runner-up and reigning World Cup Champion Thomas Kammerlander (AUT), nevertheless, the Austrian was satisfied with his performance: “I was a bit afraid after the first competition run, because the warm temperatures and the soft track didn’t suit me. But happily, I was able to adjust to the conditions of the track”, said Kammerlander, who also pointed out that you’re not allowed to make many mistakes at the men’s competition. This opinion was shared by Alex Gruber (ITA), who ranked third in Latzfons/Lazfons with a gap of 39 hundredths to his compatriot Pigneter: “The races are tough, there’s no room for mistakes. We’re all at the same high level,” stated the reigning World Champion. 

At the women’s event, there has been an Italian triple victory, but one athlete in particular stood out: Evelin Lanthaler, who had won the race with a lead of 1.21 seconds over her teammate Greta Pinggera. Even Lanthalers rivals had to admit that this was a demonstration of power: “Evelin delivered a great first run, she deserved to win, and I definitely grant her the victory,” said Pinggera, who herself was happy with her second rank: “For me, it was the first time to race on this track, therefore I’m very satisfied with my performance.” Of course, Lanthaler was also very happy about the outcome of the race: “Everything went well for me, my first run was nearly perfect, and the second one wasn’t that bad, either.” Lanthaler was even more delighted about the fact that her victory turned out to be so clear, and after the race, she revealed her big goal for this season: “I want to reclaim the World Cup trophy, but surely Greta won’t just hand it over without a battle.” The third Italian athlete on the women’s podium was Alexandra Pfattner: For the local hero, it was the first time she was able to qualify for a World Cup final run, so for obvious reasons, she was more than happy: “The fact that I not only managed to qualify, but also to get on the podium in my home race, is unbelievable. Words fail me.”

The next competition of the GRM Group Luge World Cup 2017/2018 will take place from January 12th to 14th 2018 – not, as originally scheduled, in Moscow (RUS), but in Moos in Passeier/Moso in Passiria (ITA).

Results:
http://www.fil-luge.org/en/multimedia/grm-group-luge-world-cup-on-natural-track-10