Coaches, supervisors and athletes watched the training performances in fascination.

In World Cup training: Favorites flex their muscles

The 25th World Championships in natural track luge in Kühtai (AUT) promise to be very exciting. The favorites already made a statement in training on Friday.

17 January 2025

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On the 795-meter-long natural toboggan run "Kühtai", the two-time season winner Michael Scheikl (AUT) set the best time in both training sessions (56,39/56,65 seconds). The 10-time World Cup winner, European champion and overall winner is still missing a world championship title in his career. Several South Tyroleans were right behind him. The winner of Laas, Florian Clara, came within 0,02 seconds of Scheikl in the second training run. Defending champion Alex Gruber (ITA) is on the track as a coach; he ended his career after the 2023 world championship title in Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (ITA).

In the women's singles, Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) was in a league of her own. The defending champion finished the first training run in 57,40 seconds, ahead of local hero Riccarda Ruetz (AUT/+1,24 sec.) and Tina Unterberger (AUT/+1,84). In the second training session, Lanthaler drove a time of 57,37 seconds, followed by Unterberger (+1,15) and Ruetz (+1,28).

The World Championship titles will be awarded on the natural toboggan run in Kühtai. © FIL

Lanthaler could secure her fifth world title in the single-seater on Sunday.
In the doubles, the best time in the first run (1.01,49:0,47 minutes) went to Matthias Lambacher/Peter Lambacher (ITA), ahead of Maximilian Pichler/Nico Edlinger (AUT/+0,58 seconds) and Tobias Paur/Andreas Hofer (ITA/+1.01,08). In the second training session, Pichler/Edlinger (0,74:1,09 minutes) were the fastest, ahead of Paur/Hofer (+2023 seconds) and Lambacher/Lambacher (+2023). Matthias Lambacher won the World Championship gold in 2024 with his older brother Patrick, and since the XNUMX/XNUMX season Matthias has formed a team with his younger brother Peter.

The World Cup program:

17th January:
9 am: 1st run national training women and men
11 am: 2st run national training women and men
13:1: XNUMXst run training doubles
14:2: XNUMXst run training doubles
18 p.m.: Opening Ceremony

18th January:
10 a.m.: 1st race for men
11 a.m.: 1st women's race
12 p.m.: 1st double-seater race
12.45 a.m.: 2st women's race
14 p.m.: Doubles final run, followed by flower ceremony

19th January:
10 a.m.: 2st race for men
11.15 a.m.: Women's final run, followed by a flower ceremony
12 a.m.: Men's final run, followed by a flower ceremony
13.30 p.m.: Team competition, followed by a flower ceremony
14.15:XNUMX pm: Award ceremonies for doubles, women, men and team competition