World Cup in Altenberg
Luger Julia Taubitz sprint world champion
Secured the sprint title in Altenberg: Julia Taubitz. photo
© Jan Woitas/dpa
Julia Taubitz won the sprint title at the World Luge Championships in Altenberg. On her home track, the 27-year-old won ahead of the Swiss Natalie Maag and Elina Vitola from Latvia.
Julia Taubitz took part in the World Luge Championships Altenberg won the sprint title. On her home track, the 27-year-old won ahead of the Swiss Natalie Maag and Elina Vitola from Latvia.
Last year’s sprint third and individual world champion Anna Berreiter from Berchtesgaden only came in 13th this time, Merle Fräbel came seventh.
“The title means a lot to me. It’s one of the best moments in my sporting career. To actually take home World Cup gold on my home track is great,” said Julia Taubitz and said: “Now there’s a bit of pressure away.” She now wants to win her next medal in the single-seater race. “There will be another attack on Sunday.”
Last year at the Oberhof World Championships, the first four places in the sprint competition were occupied by German female lugers. At the end of the title fights, the German team had won eight of nine titles and another eight medals.
Silver for Max Langenhan
World Cup leader Max Langenhan was also successful in the sprint by winning the silver medal. The 24-year-old from Thuringia was 0.070 seconds slower than the Austrian David Gleirscher. “The conditions are difficult. I knew there was nothing to be gained with the starting number. But it’s an outdoor sport, so it eats away at you. But it’s not that bad, a medal is a medal,” Langenhan told ZDF.
Latvian Kristers Aparjods came third in the wet race. The three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch from Berchtesgaden narrowly missed the podium in fourth place. The 34-year-old won the sprint title in Oberhof last year. David Nößler and Timon Grancagnolo finished the race in 14th and 15th place.
Two-seaters go away empty-handed
The German doubles pairings remained without a medal. Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer were the best German team in fifth place when the Italians Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer won the sprint. Elisa-Maria Storch and Pauline Patz came seventh. The Oberhof world champions Jessica Degenhart and Cheyenne Rosenthal only came in 14th, 4.111 seconds behind.
The double-seater men also came away empty-handed in the opening race. In the sprint success of the Latvians Martins Bots and Roberts Plume in the doubles, Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz were the best German duo in sixth place, 0.218 seconds behind. The six-time Olympic champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt came seventh after a driving error and were 0.268 seconds behind the surprise winners. Moritz Jäger and Valentin Steudte came in eleventh, 0.420 seconds behind.