Julia Taubitz is slowed down by an infection, but secures a spot on the podium.
A physically ailing Julia Taubitz missed out on her second consecutive victory at the start of the Olympic year. In Sigulda, Latvia, the luge world champion from Oberwiesenthal gave up a minimal lead after the first run and finished third.
US-American Summer Britcher secured the day’s victory, finishing 0.037 seconds ahead of second-placed Austrian Lisa Schulte and 0.091 seconds ahead of Taubitz. Britcher also took the lead in the overall World Cup standings.
Luge: Taubitz “caught” by flu overnight
After the race, Taubitz reported having “caught” the flu overnight: “Several of us in the team are sick. It’s going around a bit again. Get well again and then it’s time to attack,” Taubitz said into the ZDF microphone.
Vice World Champion Merle Fräbel narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth (+0.096), while Anna Berreiter placed eighth (+0.385).
After a disappointing start to the season, Taubitz celebrated her redeeming first victory of this winter just before Christmas in Lake Placid – but the overall World Cup winner of the previous season could only partially carry that momentum into the new year.
After the first run on Saturday, she had led Schulte by a mere thousandth of a second, but a weak start on Sunday proved to be her downfall.
Taubitz aims to fulfill her dream of Olympic victory at the season’s highlight in Cortina d’Ampezzo (February 6 to 22). In 2022, she went into the Olympic race in Beijing as a favorite but ended up only seventh after a fall in the second run. Prior to that, World Cup races in Winterberg and Oberhof are scheduled.