LugeArtificial Sledding
FIL Luge
Russian domination was to be and Russian domination was in Sochi in the last leg of the World Cup of tobogganing on artificial slope. On a track returned after three years in the maximum circuit of sledges, the home athletes have made the big voice conquering in the individual disciplines as many as 10 podiums out of 18 available.
Sunday 24 February 2019 11 minutes reading time
In the highly anticipated men's tests decisive for the 'assignment of the Crystal Ball, the field factor has allowed the Russian team to celebrate in front of their public a historic double made in Russia in the general classification. Thanks to two capitalized races Semen Pavlichenko first won the victory in the traditional format test and then did an encore in the last sprint of the season.
Thanks to these two successes, the twenty-seven Siberian has overtaken in the overall classification the German Johannes Ludwig who among the general astonishment had worn up to Sochi the bib leader of the ranking.
Pavlichenko who in his career had so far won a world title and four European titles, thus became after Albert Demtchenko and Roman Repilov the third Russian slitter of all time to raise the Crystal Sphere to heaven. A decidedly deserved success for Pavlichenko who finally managed to find a great continuity of results throughout the season which allowed him to take home this very important milestone.
At home Russia was also celebrated the two second places of the young Roman Repilov who thanks to these two results escorted Pavlichenko to the second place in the overall standings. Repilov among other things in the test with traditional format has become the protagonist of a splendid comeback that led him from the sixth to the second position.
In the two-race race Russia could even celebrate a resounding poker, if you had not put in the third place the 'blue Dominik Fischnaller on the gut that 5 years ago allowed his mentor and current technical director Armin Zoeggeler to conquer his sixth consecutive Olympic medal, has found again the feeling with the podium. Dominik in this last weekend of the season was the 'only athlete of the circuit able to play on almost equal with the owners, so much so that when the Germans and the Austrians sank, the twenty-six of Maranza could stay afloat giving away the third podium of the season and a good fifth place in the sprint that led him to finish in fifth place in the World Cup classification.
In Sochi, definitely not for many regular protagonists of the series. The champion Felix Loch was strongly influenced by his very bad physical condition. The two-time Olympic champion in fact has been seized by vertigo during the first round of the traditional race, deciding to compete in the subsequent descent and in the sprint only after a medical consultation. Loch placed in the eighth and fourth place finishing the season in third place in the general classification.
With a fistful of flies, however, Johannes Ludwig falls first to the fourth place. The veteran of the Teutonic team in the last two races of the season has collected only the results of recovery, such as the twelfth and tenth place respectively in the traditional format and in the sprint.
Among women, the German Natalie Geisenberger wins the two-man test mathematically guaranteeing the conquest of the seventh consecutive Crystal Ball of the career. The thirty-year-old Bavarian won the sixth season race, becoming the first ever athlete to win two individual world titles, European title and World Cup in the same season.
Behind the strongest toboggan in every age was placed the daughter of 'art Viktoriia Demchenko who took the revenge in the sprint winning his first career race in the World Cup. A third and a second place for Dajana Eitberger but not enough to grab the third position in the general classification that goes to the American Britcher, behind Taubitz and of course to Geisenberger.
The brilliant career of Tatjana Huefner closes with a two-seventh place. The thirty-five German left the world of competitions after dominating the discipline for a shine before the ascent and definitive consecration of the compatriot Geisenberger who will steal the show and break many of his records. Huefner closes the career with 5 consecutive World Cups in the active, 1 gold and two other Olympic medals, 5 world titles and a European title, and winning 38 World Cup races.
In a blue key, the twelfth and sixth place of Andrea Voetter and the fifteenth of Sandra Robatscher, who overturned in the sprint race.
Among the Russian double monologue with Aleksandr Denisev and Vladislav Antonov who make a double on the home track, grabbing the first position in both races in the program. Two podiums, a second and a third place, for Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken who conquer their fourth Crystal Ball of their career without too many worries, the third consecutive. The two Italian doubles entered in the Rieder-Kainzwaldner and Nagler-Malleier races were both placed in the top ten in the traditional format, while in the sprint only Rieder-Kainzwaldner saw the finish line reaching seventh.
Russian victory also in the relay team. The hosts, thanks to Viktoriia Demtchenko, Semen Pavlichenko and Denisev-Antonov won with a margin of just 72 thousandths on the Germans Geisenberger, Loch and Eggert-Benecken the last race of the season. Third place for Latvia that preceded Italy.
In Sochi the curtain fell on a thrilling season characterized by a very high level of competition, especially in the men's sector. The individual has seen a remarkable increase in competitiveness on the part of Austria and Russia, which during the summer have made several improvements in terms of materials and on many occasions these nations have succeeded in putting the German masters in difficulty.
 For the Italian team it was instead a season full of lights and shadows. Next to the two surprising successes, in the team test and then in the women with Sandra Robatscher, and the three podiums of Dominik Fischnaller, the only real positive note for the blue colors was the wonderful vintage by Andrea Voetter who recorded a remarkable performance growth.
Voetter aside, the Italian national team has collected very little especially at the world championships, where for the first time since Whistler 2013 Italy has returned home without medals. The technical director Zoeggeler is still working with a view to the Beijing 2022, this year the young Nagler-Malleier debuted in the maximum circuit and a new Rieder-Kainzwaldner association was created, but above all among young people a lot of work was done in the Junior World Cup and Youth.
Next year, therefore, Italy should present itself with a decidedly more competitive formation, even if the opponents will certainly not be watching ...
FIL_LUGE #FILUGE #LUGE DOMINIKFISCH #LUGELOVE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Social media engagement
Più letti in Sport invernali
Tocca a Freddy continuare la striscia dei fratelli Carrick-Smith: prima vittoria in ANC per il britannico e per Amelia Smart
Australian New Zealand Cup 2026: a Coronet Peak si è tornati finalmente a gareggiare, con lo slalom maschile che vede il classe 2007, vice campione del mondo jr di specialità, precedere nettamente Meissl e Hagen. La specialista canadese anticipa Hoffmann e la solita Butler nella prova femminile. Ora i giganti.
77