World Cup begins: The favorites and the challengers

The starting signal is given on the Grantau Railway in Umhausen. The first decisions in the Ötztal will be made for the women on Saturday. And here with some favorites from South Tyrol. On the one hand, there is serial winner Evelin Lanthaler, who still doesn't have enough and can always motivate herself. But there is also her long-term rival Greta Pinggera from Laas, who finally wants to break the dominance of the Passirian woman. And last but not least, tobogganers like Daniela Mittermair from Deutschnofen (born in 1999) and Nadine Staffler (born in 2000) want to follow in the footsteps of the two experienced tobogganers.

While Staffler is still waiting for her first podium place, but was close to finishing 2th twice last year, especially in her home races in Laas - and of course still has time - Mittermair made it onto the podium twice last season. Both times it was 4rd place. Both times behind Lanthaler and Pinggera. This year she would like to finish ahead of the two favorites. “Do I want to succeed Evelin? Gladly, but I want to beat her now,” emphasizes Mittermair SportNews . “A World Cup victory this season would be a dream,” she says, explaining the route.

"We are a good team. I can get valuable tips from both of them.” Daniela Mittermair

Despite the competition, the women are a strong team. “Of course we often train together and work well together. I can get valuable tips from both of them,” said Mittermair, who has been part of the Azzurri senior national team for three years. At the World Championships in Ötztal last year, she narrowly missed out on a medal in fourth place behind Lanthaler, the Russian Jekaterina Lavrentjewa and the Austrian Tina Unterberger. Kammerlander is the favorite What world champion Evelin Lanthaler is for women, North Tyrolean Thomas Kammerlander was most recently for men. While the 30-year-old from Passiria won all 6 World Cup races last season and took the overall victory comfortably ahead of Pinggera and Unterberger, Kammerlander ended up in 4th place in the overall ranking. But this was only because he had to miss the first two races due to corona . He was able to win all of the remaining 4 races. World Cup gold also went to Kammerlander.

He is the favorite this time too: Thomas Kammerlander. © Mirjam Jennewein

So it's no wonder that the Ötztaler is the big favorite this season too. The Austrian defending champion Michael Scheikl, Villandro's Alex Gruber and of course veteran Patrick Pigneter from Völs also want to have a say in the overall standings. The 34-year-old former series winner definitely wants to win an overall World Cup. He has already won the crystal ball 11 times, most recently in 2016.

In the doubles there is still no way around Pigneter and Florian Clara from Val Badia. The South Tyrolean dream duo also confidently took overall victory last year ahead of Patrick and Matthias Lambacher. In 2020, the toboggan brothers from Villnöß were able to win the European Championship title in Moscow on a greatly shortened course, but they are still waiting for their first victory in the World Cup.

In addition to the World Cup races, the European Championships are a highlight this season. This is on the program in February in Lasa. The international toboggan dates 2022 World Cup: January 07th – 09th Umhausen January 14th – 16th Umhausen January 21st – 23rd Vatra Dornei January 28th – 30th Deutschnofen February 18th – 20th Mariazell February 24th – 27th Moscow

ME: February 10th – 13th in Lasa

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World Cup begins: The favorites and the challengers

This weekend, South Tyrol's natural track tobogganing aces start the new World Cup season. Excitement is guaranteed.

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