Dominik Fischnaller showed a good performance in Norway. © Photo Hermann Sobe / Hermann Sobe

Germany wins – South Tyrol with good performances

The new season in the artificial track luge World Cup started with a thrilling opening in Lillehammer. While the luge nation in particular shone with three daily victories, Dominik Fischnaller and Co. Felderer also showed respectable performances.

01 December 2024

From: do

On Sunday, the men's singles luge took to the slippery ice track for the first time this season. In Lillehammer, Norway, the German luge nation triumphed, with two athletes on the podium. Max Langenhan took the coveted day's victory ahead of the Austrian Wolfgang Kindl (+0,027), while third place went to Felix Loch (+0,184). In the end, the South Tyrolean athletes had nothing to do with the decision at the top in the far north.

Dominik Fischnaller, the World Cup winner from two years ago, showed his ambitions in this early phase of the season with a strong first run and a temporary fourth place, but fell somewhat short of expectations in the second run and fell to sixth place (+0,326). A similar thing happened to Leon Felderer, who fell from sixth place to tenth place (+0,770). Nevertheless, the two top 10 results can be considered solid performances by both of them.

The other four South Tyrolean athletes in the artificial track luge World Cup, Lukas Peccei and Alex Gufler, finished 23rd and 24th in the first run and thus did not qualify for the second round.

The mixed premiere

A little later, mixed competitions were held for the first time in the history of the sport. This new format will replace the sprints from this winter. A man and a woman in the individual and a men's and women's doubles in a mixed relay form a team. A special feature that is intended to ensure more diversity: for the first time, mixed teams from two nations are also allowed if they cannot put together their own team.

Max Langenhan and his partner Julia Taubitz secured victory in this premiere – as in the individual event. Second place went to the Americans Jonathan Eric Gustafson and Emily Sweeney (+0,263 seconds), followed by the second German team, consisting of Felix Loch and Merle Fräbel (+0,312 seconds). Dominik Fischnaller and Sandra Robatscher achieved eighth place in the South Tyrolean mixed event (+0,575 seconds). Leon Felder and Verena Hofer came in eleventh place (+0,863).

The German team also triumphed in the mixed doubles competition. Tobias Wendl, Tobias Arlt, Magdalena Matschina and Dajana Eitberger secured the win. The Italian team, consisting of the four South Tyroleans Emanuel Rieder, Fabian Malleier, Annalena Huber and Nadia Falkensteiner, took fifth place (+1,185 seconds).