Julia Taubitz, the remarkable athlete who has already secured five world championships in luge, has once again showcased her exceptional skills and determination by winning the overall World Cup for the fourth time. The final determinant event took place in Sigulda, Latvia, which was the third-to-last race of the season. Despite the fierce competition, Taubitz managed to secure her victory, effectively demonstrating her superior skills and unwavering resolve. Anna Berreiter, the Olympic silver medalist, managed to secure third place in the race, which was sufficient for her to win the big crystal ball early. This marks Berreiter’s third consecutive overall World Cup victory, further establishing her position as a formidable competitor in the sport.
The race took place on the notoriously difficult artificial ice rink in Sigulda. Despite the challenging conditions, the 27-year-old athlete from Oberwiesenthal managed to improve her position from fourth to third place in the second run. By the end of the race, she was only 0.081 seconds behind Berreiter, demonstrating a commendable effort.
Taubitz, known for her perfectionist approach, recalled her mistakes after the race ended. She described her performance as being mixed, with problems in several corners. However, she soon realized that her run was sufficient for overall victory. Berreiter, on the other hand, managed to race from the seventh position to her first success of the season with an almost flawless drive. She finished the race 0.018 seconds ahead of the second-placed Latvian Elina Ieva Vitola. Despite the challenging track, which she described as torture due to a bad fall in 2020, Berreiter managed to move up to the second place in the overall standings, tying in points with Austria’s Madeleine Egle.
German long-term winners since 1999
Taubitz’s early triumph continues the impressive streak of success among German female luge athletes. Since 1999, only athletes from Germany have managed to win the overall World Cup, further solidifying the nation’s dominant presence in the sport.
In the men’s doubles race, the German duo of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt managed to take second place (+0.018), with the Latvian pair of Martins Bots and Roberts Plume securing the winning position. Despite not winning, the German pair managed to gain a few points on the overall World Cup leaders, Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl from Austria, who ended in third position (+0.274). Meanwhile, the German pair of Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz finished in the tenth place. In the women’s doubles, Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal won the race with a lead of 0.085 seconds over the overall World Cup leaders Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer from Italy. The German pair of Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer celebrated their third place (+0.108) finish.
