Stefan Federer caused a sensation. © Jana Zischg

Swiss victory: Sensation in natural track luge

The FIL World Cup in natural track luge in Umhausen (Austria) ended with a huge surprise on Sunday afternoon. Stefan Federer from South Tyrol, who was racing for Switzerland, won the eliminator. It is the first podium finish for the 35-year-old and also the first World Cup victory for Switzerland.

09. February 2025

From: pm

The men's singles eliminator race, which was held in knockout mode, produced a new winner. Stefan Federer had a bye in the round of 1.13,29, and in the quarterfinals he beat his teammate Jerome Almer before Federer moved into the final with a win against Fabian Brunner. There, Federer smashed the fastest time of the day on the 955-meter-long "Grantau" track with a time of 0,36:XNUMX minutes. World champion Michael Scheikl came in second, XNUMX seconds behind, and Fabian Achenrainer came in third, ahead of Florian Clara.

"It's unbelievable, I felt good all weekend, the material was perfect. My thanks go to my teammate (Jerome Almer, editor's note), who supported me before the semi-finals and finals," said Federer, who was celebrated by his fellow competitors at the finish. The South Tyrolean (Völs am Schlern) rode for Italy until the 2020/2021 season, and since the winter of 2022/2023 he has been competing for Switzerland.

The men's podium.

In the overall World Cup, the final in Deutschnofen will see a big showdown between Michael Scheikl (495 points) ahead of Florian Clara (490), while Alex Oberhofer (362) and Stefan Federer (358) will fight for the last place on the podium.

Ninth overall victory for Evelin Lanthaler

In the women's eliminator, Evelin Lanthaler secured her early victory in the overall World Cup with her 57th World Cup victory. In the final, the world champion beat her teammate Daniela Mittermair (+1.14,97 seconds) with a time of 0,48:0,59 minutes. Third place went to Lisa Walch (+XNUMX), who is delighted with her first podium finish this season, ahead of Tina Unterberger.

Evelin Lanthaler (center) is the best

"It was a long day of racing today, I knew it would be close in the final. I am particularly pleased to win the overall World Cup for the ninth time," said the record World Cup winner. The final of the 2024/2025 FIL World Cup in natural track luge will take place on February 22 and 23 in Deutschnofen.


Top 4 single seater women, Eliminator
1.Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) 1.14,97:XNUMX minutes
2.Daniela Mittermair (ITA) +0,48 seconds
3.Lisa Walch (GER) +0,59
4.Tina Unterberger (AUT) +0,81

Top-4 Men's Singles, Eliminator
1.Stefan Federer (SUI) 1.13,29:XNUMX minutes
2.Michael Scheikl (AUT) +0,36 seconds
3.Fabian Achenrainer (AUT) +0,41
4.Florian Clara (ITA) +0,85