FIL European Luge Championships 2008
Encyclopedia
The FIL European Luge Championships 2008 took place January 7-13, 2008 at the Cesana Pariol
track in Cesana, Italy
. The relay competition took the place of the team event that had been held at every European championship since 1988
. This event had all teams start at the same part of the track (located at the women's singles/ men's doubles start house), then run down to the finish and tap on a relay marker to exchange from one slider on a team to the next (men's doubles to women's singles to men's singles) with the fastest time winning.
This was Zöggeler's second European championship in this event and fifth straight medal at the championships.
Geisenberger won her first ever championship. The event was delayed one hour to heavy snowfall in the area. Hadler is the first non-German to medal in this event at the Winter Olympic, world, or European level since fellow Austria
n Angelika Neuner
won a bronze at the 1998 Winter Olympics
.
The tie for the bronze was the first in a Winter Olympic
, world championship, or European championship event since they started timing luge in the 1/1000ths of a second following the tie between Italy and East Germany in the men's doubles
event at the 1972 Winter Olympics
in Sapporo. Oberstolz and Gruber won their first ever title, ending Leitner and Resch's four-time championships reign in this event.
For the first time since the event debutted at the 1988 championships
, Germany did not medal, finishing fourth.
Cesana Pariol
Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana...
track in Cesana, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The relay competition took the place of the team event that had been held at every European championship since 1988
FIL European Luge Championships 1988
The FIL European Luge Championships 1988 took place in Königssee, West Germany for a record fifth time after hosting the event previously in 1967, 1972, 1973, and 1977...
. This event had all teams start at the same part of the track (located at the women's singles/ men's doubles start house), then run down to the finish and tap on a relay marker to exchange from one slider on a team to the next (men's doubles to women's singles to men's singles) with the fastest time winning.
Time table
- Practice dates for the events took place January 7-11 with event draws taking place on the 11th.
- Opening ceremonies took place at 6 PM CETCentral European TimeCentral European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(5 PM UTC) on January 10. - To avoid direct sunlight, the events were conducted in the early morning both days.
Competitors
80 competitors from 15 nations competed at these championships. This included ten relay teams which took place on the 13th.Men's singles
January 13, 2008 at 8 AM CET (7 AM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1:44.341 | |
| Silver | + 0.341 | |
| Bronze | + 0.403 | |
| 4th | + 0.428 | |
| 5th | + 0.474 | |
| 6th | + 0.509 | |
| 7th | + 0.556 | |
| 8th | + 0.806 | |
| 9th | + 0.808 | |
| 10th | + 0.876 |
This was Zöggeler's second European championship in this event and fifth straight medal at the championships.
Women's singles
January 12, 2008 at 9 AM CET (8 AM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1:35.364 | |
| Silver | +0.160 | |
| Bronze | +0.167 | |
| 4th | + 0.176 | |
| 5th | + 0.320 | |
| 6th | + 0.412 | |
| 7th | + 0.735 | |
| 8th | + 0.779 | |
| 9th | + 1.019 | |
| 10th | + 1.037 |
Geisenberger won her first ever championship. The event was delayed one hour to heavy snowfall in the area. Hadler is the first non-German to medal in this event at the Winter Olympic, world, or European level since fellow Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Angelika Neuner
Angelika Neuner
Angelika Neuner is an Austrian luger who competed from 1987 to 2002. Competing in four Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles event with a silver in 1992 and a bronze in 1998...
won a bronze at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
Men's doubles
January 12, 2008 at 3 PM CET (2 PM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | (Christian Oberstolz Christian Oberstolz Christian Oberstolz is an Italian luger who has competed since 1997. He won four medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .At the FIL European Luge Championships, Oberstolz won five medals with one gold , three... , Patrick Gruber Patrick Gruber Patrick Gruber is an Italian luger who has competed since 1997. He won four medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .At the FIL European Luge Championships, Gruber won five medals with one gold Patrick Gruber (born January 31, 1978 in Bruneck) is an Italian... ) |
1:33.779 |
| Silver | (Andreas Linger Andreas Linger Andreas Linger is an Austrian luger who has competed internationally since 2000. He and his younger brother Wolfgang began luging at a very young age, and did their first doubles run when they were 14... , Wolfgang Linger Wolfgang Linger Wolfgang Linger is an Austrian luger who has competed internationally since 2000. As young children, he and his older brother Andreas learned to luge on a former Olympic luge track, and at age 14 began competing as a doubles team for the first time... ) |
+0.159 |
| Bronze | (Gerhard Plankensteiner Gerhard Plankensteiner Gerhard Plankensteiner is an Italian national of Austrian descent luger who competed from 1986 to 2010... , Oswald Haselrieder Oswald Haselrieder Oswald Haselrieder is an Italian national of Austrian descent luger who competed from 1990 to 2010... ) |
+0.183 |
| (Patric Leitner Patric Leitner Patric-Fritz Leitner is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Alexander Resch he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth... , Alexander Resch Alexander Resch Alexander Resch is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Patric Leitner, he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth... ) |
||
| 5th | (André Florschütz André Florschütz André Florschütz is a German luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. Together with Torsten Wustlich, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... , Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with André Florschütz, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... ) |
+0.408 |
| 6th | (Peter Penz Peter Penz Peter Penz is an Austrian luger who has competed since 2003. He won two medals in the mixed team event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a silver in 2009 and a bronze in 2007... , Georg Fischler Georg Fischler Georg Fischler is an Austrian luger who has competed since 2003. He won two medals in the mixed team event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a silver in 2009 and a bronze in FIL World Luge Championships 2007|2007]]... ) |
+0.591 |
| 7th | (Andris Šics Andris Šics Andris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, older brother Juris Šics.... , Juris Šics Juris Šics Juris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, younger brother Andris Šics.... ) |
+0.638 |
| 8th | (Mihail Kuzmitch Mihail Kuzmitch Mikhail Sergeyevich Kuzmich , born October 8, 1982 in Krasnoyarsk) is a Russian luger who has competed since 1999. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 11th in the men's doubles event at Turin in 2006.... , Stanislav Mikheev Stanislav Mikheev Stanislav Mikheev is a Russian luger who has competed since the mid 2000s. His best finish at the FIL European Luge Championships was sixth in the men's doubles event at Sigulda in 2010.... ) |
+0.896 |
| 9th | (Marcel Lorenz Marcel Lorenz Marcel Lorenz is a German luger who has competed since 2002. He finished ninth in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy.... , Christian Baude Christian Baude Christian Baude is a German luger who has competed since 2002. He finished ninth in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy.... ) |
+1.151 |
| 10th | (Ivan Nevmerzhitski Ivan Nevmerzhitski Ivan Nevmerzhitski is a Russian luger who has competed since 2000. He finished tenth in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy.... , Vladimir Prokhorov Vladimir Prokhorov Vladimir Prokhorov is a Russian luger who has competed since 2000. He finished tenth in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy.... ) |
+1.174 |
The tie for the bronze was the first in a Winter Olympic
Luge at the Winter Olympics
Luge was introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1964, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically a mixed event, but is almost always competed by a team of two men...
, world championship, or European championship event since they started timing luge in the 1/1000ths of a second following the tie between Italy and East Germany in the men's doubles
Luge at the 1972 Winter Olympics
-Men's singles:-Doubles:A malfunctioning starting gate cancelled the results of the first run. Italy, whose doubles team of Paul Hildgartner and Walter Plaikner won the first run, protested to event officials the results should stand since all contestants had suffered equally, but to no avail....
event at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo. Oberstolz and Gruber won their first ever title, ending Leitner and Resch's four-time championships reign in this event.
Mixed team relay
January 13, 2008 at 12 PM CET (11 AM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | (Mārtiņš Rubenis Martinš Rubenis Mārtiņš Rubenis is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. He won the bronze medal at the men's singles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, becoming the first Latvian Mārtiņš Rubenis (born 26 September 1978 in Riga) is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. He won the bronze... , Maija Tīruma Maija Tiruma Maija Tīruma is a Latvian luger who has competed since the 2000.She won two bronze medals in the mixed team relay event at the FIL World Luge Championships .... , Andris Šics Andris Šics Andris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, older brother Juris Šics.... , Juris Šics Juris Šics Juris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, younger brother Andris Šics.... ) |
2:40.863 |
| Silver | (Martin Abentung Martin Abentung Martin Aberntung is an Austrian-born luger who competed from 1999 to 2010. He won a silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany... , Veronika Halder Veronika Halder Veronika Halder is an Austrian luger who has competed since 2000. She won four medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .Halder competed in two Winter Olympics, earning her best finish of fifth in the women's singles event at Turin in... , Andreas Linger Andreas Linger Andreas Linger is an Austrian luger who has competed internationally since 2000. He and his younger brother Wolfgang began luging at a very young age, and did their first doubles run when they were 14... , Wolfgang Linger Wolfgang Linger Wolfgang Linger is an Austrian luger who has competed internationally since 2000. As young children, he and his older brother Andreas learned to luge on a former Olympic luge track, and at age 14 began competing as a doubles team for the first time... ) |
+ 0.008 |
| Bronze | (Armin Zöggeler Armin Zöggeler Armin Zöggeler is a luger and double Olympic champion who is an Italian national. He is one of the most successful men in the sport, nicknamed Il Cannibale , for his notable series of victories, or The Iceblood Champion, for his always cold, rational approach to the races.Zöggeler was born in... , Sandra Gasparini Sandra Gasparini Sandra Gasparini is an Italian luger who has competed since 2006. She won the silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2007 FIL World Luge Championships in Igls, Austria.... , Gerhard Plankensteiner Gerhard Plankensteiner Gerhard Plankensteiner is an Italian national of Austrian descent luger who competed from 1986 to 2010... , Oswald Haselrieder Oswald Haselrieder Oswald Haselrieder is an Italian national of Austrian descent luger who competed from 1990 to 2010... ) |
+ 0.050 |
For the first time since the event debutted at the 1988 championships
FIL European Luge Championships 1988
The FIL European Luge Championships 1988 took place in Königssee, West Germany for a record fifth time after hosting the event previously in 1967, 1972, 1973, and 1977...
, Germany did not medal, finishing fourth.
Medal table
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |