Until last week’s races in Konigssee, there was no question but that Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger is the best women’s luger in the world. Maybe that should be reconsidered.
Suddenly, German Julia Taubitz has won two of the last four races, American Summer Britcher has won silver in the last two races and Geisenberger’s 25-race World Cup medal streak was stopped.
OK, maybe we’re jumping to conclusions here, but the World Cup races in Sigulda (LAT) will help to clarify the situation. The World Cup standings:
1. 612 Natalie Geisenberger (GER)
2. 595 Julia Taubitz (GER)
3. 415 Summer Britcher (USA)
4. 348 Dajana Eitberger (GER)
5. 334 Tatjana Ivanova (RUS)
The men’s situation couldn’t be much closer:
1. 441 Johannes Ludwig (GER)
2. 413 Roman Repilov (RUS)
3. 404 Wolfgang Kindl (AUT)
4. 398 Felix Loch (GER)
5. 389 Reinhard Egger (AUT)
Kindl has won three races of the seven contested and Repilov has won two. Amazingly, Ludwig is in front with only one win, but three medals in all and consistently high finishes.
In the Doubles, the usual suspects are at the top:
1. 625 Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (GER)
2. 516 Thomas Steu/Lorenz Koller (AUT)
2. 516 Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER)
4. 381 Andris Sics/Juris Sics (LAT)
5. 350 Chris Mazdzer/Jayson Terdiman (USA)
After Steu and Koller won the first two races in Innsbruck, Eggert and Benecken have won four of the last five.
The races in Sigulda are the last before the FIL World Championships from 25-27 January in Winterberg (GER). Look for results here.
