Renate Gietl defends world title

The second winner of the day was Melanie Schwarz, who surprisingly won the bronze medal. Two years ago at the World Cup in St. Sebastian she fell badly and suffered a complicated leg fracture, after which many saw her career as over. “It was a pretty tough two years and I often didn't believe that I would ever come back. But tobogganing is simply my sport and I really wanted it,” said the overjoyed South Tyrolean, who is studying religious education in Brixen in order to start teaching in four years. Schwarz was the 13th Italian to enter the all-time best list of World Cup medalists. The most successful Italian in these statistics is still Aostan's Delia Vaudan with three gold medals. However, Ekatharina Lavrentjeva is at the top with three gold and three silver medals.

The decision in the men's single-seater couldn't have been tighter or more exciting: After the first run, the Austrian Gerald Kammerlander was in the lead, was then pushed out of the lead by defending champion Patrick Pigneter and had to risk everything in the third, decisive run if he wanted his chances still true. He took advantage of it and won his first world title ahead of his teammate Robert Batkowski, who improved from run to run and managed to go from fifth place to the silver medal after the first run. The dethroned world champion Patrick Pigneter had to be content with the bronze medal. The 23-year-old from Völs took it calmly: "It can't always work, but once you've won gold, you can't be so happy about bronze." In the second run he set a sensational time (1: 11,99 he was the only one to stay in the lead under the 1:12,00 mark, but then had to replace a rail and fell back to third place in the third run. Rudi Resch came fifth, ahead of Florian Breitenberger, Florian Clara and veteran Toni Blasbichler.

Results of the Natural Track Luge World Championships in Umhausen/Austria (January 30, 2011)

Single seater men: 1. Gerald Kammerlander (AUT), 1:12,46(1), 1:12,48(3), 1:12.67(3), 3:37,61 2. Robert Batkowski (AUT), 1:12,97(5), 1:12,12(2), 1:12,56(2), 3:37,65 3. Patrick Pigneter (ITA), 1:12,72(3), 1:11,99(1), 1:13,24(6), 3:37,95 4. Thomas Kammerlander (AUT), 1:12,79(4), 1:12,59(4), 1:13,21(5), 3:38,59 5. Rudi Resch (ITA), 1:13,19(8), 1:13,06(7), 1:12,43(1), 3:38,68 6. Florian Breitenberger (ITA), 1:13,04(7), 1:12,67(5), 1:13,14(4), 3:38,85 7. Florian Clara (ITA), 1:12,97(5), 1:12,84(6), 1:13,29(7), 3:39,10 8. Anton Blasbichler (ITA), 1:12,70(2), 1:13,55(8), 1:13,54(9), 3:39,79

Single seater women: 1. Renate Gietl (ITA), 1:13,48(2), 1:13,61(1), 1:13,34(1), 3:40,43 2. Ekatharina Lavrentjeva (RUS), 1:13,43(1), 1:13,90(2), 1:13,34(1), 3:40,67 3. Melanie Schwarz (ITA), 1:14,50(4), 1:14,62(3), 1:14,19(4), 3:43,31 4. Melanie Batkowski (AUT), 1:14,19(3), 1:15,42(4), 1:14,05(3), 3:43,66 5. Evelin Lanthaler (ITA), 1:16,25(8), 1:15,54(5), 1:14,76(6), 3:46,55 6. Sara Bachmann (ITA), 1:15,31(5), 1:15,60(6), 1:15,95(8), 3:46,86 7. Michaela Maurer (GER), 1:16,17(7), 1:16,07(8), 1:15,09(7), 3:47,28 8. Alexandra Obrist (ITA), 1:17,01(10), 1:15,78(7), 1:14,64(5), 3:47,43

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Renate Gietl defends world title

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