Preview 9th EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup in Yanqing (CHN):
FIL World Cup Final in Yanqing / All decisions in the overall World Cup and Team Relay still open
Yanqing (FIL/20.02.2025) For the grand final of the 48th FIL EBERSPAECHER World Cup season, the athletes compete for the final World Cup points this weekend on February 15-16 on the Olympic track for Beijing 2022 in the Yanqing Sliding Center. In addition to the races in the EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup, the final race of the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW is on the program on Sunday. It will be a special final weekend, as all decisions in the respective disciplines are still open. 25 women, 30 men, 10 women's doubles and 15 men's doubles as well as eight relay teams from 15 nations have registered for the final Luge World Cup of the 2024/25 season.
The luge elite last competed three years ago on this beautifully situated track, which is popular with many athletes. With Anna Berreiter (GER, silver), Wolfgang Kindl (AUT, silver), Dominik Fischnaller (ITA, bronze) and the doubles Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER, gold), Toni Eggert (GER, silver) and Thomas Steu (AUT, bronze), numerous medal winners from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing are represented in the current World Cup.
Successful premiere season in mixed events
After the gold, silver and bronze globes were awarded last week on the 2018 Olympic track in PyeongChang (KOR) in the EBERSPAECHER Mixed Event World Cup presented by SKECHERS, the overall rankings in the EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup and the decision in the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW are now up to be decided. In the premiere season, GER 1 won the mixed singles with 270 points ahead of GER 2 (240 points) and AUT 2 (216 points). International teams were also allowed to compete in this competition for the first time. Natalie Maag (SUI) and Alexander Ferlazzo (AUS) finished in seventh place with 127 points. Team GER 1 won the mixed doubles with 246 points ahead of GER 2 (230 p.) and AUT (212 p.).
“The feedback on the new Mixed Event World Cup has been consistently positive because it fulfills exactly what we wanted to achieve as the FIL,” Matthias Böhmer, FIL Sports Director, is pleased to report. “The aim was to involve all member nations, regardless of whether they have their own team or form an international team. In terms of sustainability, it was also important that no additional investments were required for the tracks to implement the new competition, but that the existing infrastructure was used. While the competitions in Lillehammer were still quite lengthy, we kept reducing the time intervals so that we ended up with 45 minutes of competition. And the spectators were offered everything: Touchpad, response start at the gate, dramatic crashes, different winners and losers. We are very satisfied and are definitely going for the 2030 Olympic bid.”
Overall World Cup decision exciting to the very end
In addition to the crystal globes for winning the EBERSPAECHER Overall World Cup in the individual disciplines, the FIL will also award JOSKA trophies for the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW this weekend. After eight of nine World Cup races, Madeleine Egle, the women's doubles Selina Egle/Lara Kipp (all Austria) as well as Max Langenhan and the doubles Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (all Germany) are currently leading the overall discipline World Cup rankings.
After last year's winner Julia Taubitz (GER) and Madeleine Egle (AUT) both clearly missed out on the podium in PyeongChang following Lisa Schulte's (AUT) first World Cup victory, all three are still in the hunt for victory in the overall World Cup. Egle continues to lead with 590 points ahead of team-mate Schulte (570 points) and Taubitz (557 points), but would have to finish at least second if Schulte wins again to secure the crystal globe for the first time in her career.
Things remain exciting in the men's overall World Cup. Triple World Champion Max Langenhan (GER) leads with 616 points ahead of Nico Gleirscher (AUT, 558 points) and team-mate Felix Loch (GER, 505 points). If Gleirscher wins, Langenhan would have to finish at least seventh to defend his last year's title.
World champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (735 points) have a comfortable 75-point cushion in the overall women's doubles World Cup going into the final race, but the Olympic track in Yanqing is new to everyone and has proven that you have to finish first. The Germans Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal (660 p.) are the only ones who can still threaten them if they win again. The men's doubles will also be decided in the last race. With 85 points, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (GER, 645 p.), who came third in the World Championships in Whistler, have the biggest points cushion of all. They lead ahead of Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl (AUT, 560 p.) and Martins Bots/Roberts Plume (LAT, 556 p.) and only have to cross the finish line to clinch their sixth overall World Cup victory.
With a total of 50 relay wins, Team Germany leads the all-time statistics by some distance. This season, national coach Patric Leitner's team has only won one of the four team relays so far, but has otherwise finished in second place each time. Germany leads the overall World Cup ranking of the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW with 355 points, ahead of Austria (345 points) and Latvia (215 points)
An overview of the overall World Cup standings and the individual disciplines can be found here: fil-luge.org/en/overall-scores?event_season_id=32
Athletes’ Quotes on the World Cup final:
Madeleine Egle (AUT): “We'll have to see if it fits in terms of time, as we have a tight schedule again in Yanqing. But I think it would be cool if we could see the Great Wall of China from more than just the car.”
Julia Taubitz (GER): “I'm really looking forward to the World Cup final in China and I think it's great that this beautiful track is finally back on the calendar because I can show what I can really do here. I set the best time twice at the Olympics, which means the track suits me. I really enjoy racing there. The track itself is a work of art and the surrounding landscape is also very beautiful. Mentally, it's the highlight of the season for me and I really hope to cross the finish line twice on the sled. I really like the yellow bib and it goes very well with the German team's outfit. I think it's great that it's a real battle with Madeleine. Last year I won the overall World Cup early on. That was also great, but this year you really can't afford to make a mistake on any weekend, and that makes it very exciting. Of course I would love to defend my title.”
Lisa Schulte (AUT): “We have not been to Yanqing for a long time. I think we all have to learn the course a bit anew. We just have to find out where the key sections are this time. It's always best to start well and race well. If time permits, we want to experience a bit of the culture this time. Personally, I'm staying a little longer in the Asian region for my post-season vacation anyway and will definitely take something with me.”
Nathalie Maag (SUI): “I'm really looking forward to the Olympic track in Yanqing. I had a great Olympic premiere there and can hardly wait to race there again. The start curve is a challenge here and then you have to see how the exit 13 is. I've been there three times and it was different three times.”
Ashley Farquharson (USA): „Going back to the 2022 track is going to be exciting! I'm happy to get the opportunity to slide there again and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the country and culture this time around.“
Selina Egle (AUT): “It was a very challenging week in PyeongChang. We kept having problems in training, especially out of the nine, and there was also a crash with broken equipment. We are all the happier that we were able to show two solid runs. There were a bit too many mistakes in the second run, the German girls deserved to win. Now we are going into the last World Cup focused and will do our best again.”
Dajana Eitberger (GER): “The end of the season in China will also be exciting. Of course, a few more athletes from our young team were already there. I think it's still a challenge, especially for the women's doubles, because the start complex, i.e. turn one, two, the transition, and also the change from Pyeongchang to China, which is now a bit slower, requires more of a feel and sliding. It certainly won't be easy. What's more, you're bound to get cabin fever after four weeks. One should also not underestimate the fact that after the World Championships you're on your last legs and it's important to keep your concentration up. After all, the last World Cup points will be scored and they can be hugely important for the overall result of the season.”
Sophia Kirkby (USA): „Very excited to be racing a World Cup on the 2022 Olympic Luge track. Makes the 2026 Olympics feel closer than ever. It’s a new Olympic track to learn which is great practice for Chevonne and I because we will have to test and learn the 2026 Italian track ahead of time of the Olympics.“
Max Langenhan (GER): “I'm really looking forward to returning to Yanqing because it was so beautiful there despite Covid. There is not a more beautiful track. If it was easier to get there, I think the track in China is the best track in the world for pushing material forward, for bringing luge to the top level, because you have everything you need there. That's why it's a shame that we are so rarely there. I just want to enjoy the World Cup there now, not just because it's the last race of the season, but because it will definitely still be about the overall World Cup. That's another reason why it will be very interesting and exciting.”
Felix Loch (GER): “Everyone knows that I didn't really want to go to Yanqing again, but the circumstances are different this time. It would be nice if I could have two more good runs on the Olympic track and then the season will be over again. However, everything has to come together for a podium finish in the overall world, from the start to the finish, and the driving equipment has to be right, which I'm actually quite happy with at the moment. On the whole, this season has gone well, especially with regard to next year's Olympic Games. Everything was geared towards that, we tried a lot of things, and that's why I think I can be very satisfied with the season.”
Ivan Nagler (ITA): “If I'm honest, it wasn't so easy for us on the track at the beginning before the Olympic Games. But it's been a while now and we're looking forward to seeing how things turn out. If we get the chance, we definitely want to see the Great Wall of China this time. It's always nice to see the sights of a country.”
Tobias Arlt (GER): “Even though my experience at the Olympics wasn't the best, I'll of course be there in China. We really like the track, it's a really nice track, an incredibly beautiful structure that the Chinese have built. It's very long and has very good memories for us.
Tobias Wendl (GER): “The first thing I asked national coach Patrick Leitner was whether we could go on the Great Wall of China this time, because we were denied everything last time during the Corona period. He said that the schedule is very tight, but I think that if we have training in the morning, we won't build the sled straight away in the afternoon, but we'll take a look at the wall or the surrounding area to experience some of the culture. So far we only know the airport and the track.”
Sean Hollander (USA): „I’m excited to go back and compete in China for the first time since the 2022 Olympics. Last time Zack and I were there we were still very early into our doubles career, so it is going to be interesting to see how different the track feels with all the extra years of sliding experience under our belts now.“
Schedule 9th EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup, Yanqing (CHN)
Local start time (CET/MEZ)
Saturday, February 22, 2025
11:00 (04:00) Nations Cup
19:25 (12:25) Women’s Singles, 1st run
20:50 (13:50) Women’s Singles, 2nd run
22:00 (15:00) Women’s Doubles, 1st run
23:00 (16:00) Women’s Doubles, 2nd run
Sunday, February 23, 2025
16:05 (09:05) Men’s Doubles, 1st run
17:20 (10:20) Men’s Doubles, 2nd run
18:25 (11:25) Men’s Singles, 1st run
19:55 (12:55) Men’s Singles, 2nd run
21:30 (14:30) Team Relay
Subject to change without notice!
