Ivanova Wins from 13th to Open World Cup Season

From Igls, AUT

Nov. 23, 2019 – Prior hitting ice in Igls, everyone assumed that 2019/2020 women’s luge season would be a little crazier than usual. With Germany’s two Olympic medalists out on maternity leave, the top of the podium looked to be wide open and seemingly anything could happen.

Craziness ensued almost immediately.

Women’s Podium (L-R: Britcher, Ivanova, Taubitz, Tiebel) Courtesy FIL TV

The first heat of the season saw women with little-to-no World Cup experience take to the top of the leaderboard, while those expected to contend well back in the field. With warmer than usual air temperatures possibly affecting the track conditions it was anyone’s game int he second run.

Enter Tatyana Ivanova.

The Russian veteran came into the second heat in 13th after a relatively sloppy first run. Her second trip down the Austrian track was nothing short of flawless, with the Russian setting the fast run of the morning by nearly a tenth of a second. The next 12 women down the track all took their best shot at Ivanova but none could match the blistering pace Ivanova set on her second run.

Both Summer Britcher and Julia Taubitz had a shot at Ivanova. American Britcher had a few small mistakes late in her first run that scrubbed off much needed speed at the bottom, while Germany’s Taubitz hit the wall at the start of her second run.

When it was all said and done, Ivanova took gold from 13th in the first heat, with Britcher winning silver, and Taubitz and teammate Jessica Tiebel tying for bronze.

Ekaterina Kavnikova finished fifth, .029 away from a bronze medal. Austrian Lisa Schulte came into the second heat as the leader on her home track, but finished sixth.

It was a “mixed bag” sort of race for the United States. World Cup rookie Ashley Farquharson finished the first heat in third, but a sloppy second run dropped her to 15th. Brittney Arndt finished two spots ahead of Farquharson in 13th after coming into the second run in tenth, while Emily Sweeney never could find her groove in Austria, finishing 24th.

Canada saw all of their women’s World Cup veterans retire over the summer, leaving the luge duties to youngsters Trinity Ellis and Carolyn Maxwell. Ellis moved up from 16th in the first heat to eighth, while Carolyn Maxwell fell from seventh to a disappointing 25th in the second heat.

Results:

Pos Name Nation Bib Start 1 Start 2 Run 1 Run 2 Total
1 Tatyana Ivanova RUS 28 2.145 2.110 40.875 40.429 1:21.304
2 Summer Britcher USA 20 2.133 2.137 40.693 40.721 1:21.414
3 Julia Taubitz GER 25 2.151 2.146 40.728 40.740 1:21.468
3 Jessica Tiebel GER 11 2.166 2.149 40.674 40.794 1:21.468
5 Ekaterina Katnikova RUS 15 2.169 2.164 40.840 40.657 1:21.497
6 Lisa Schulte AUT 14 2.116 2.140 40.623 40.930 1:21.553
7 Anna Berreiter GER 16 2.139 2.143 40.801 40.775 1:21.576
8 Trinity Ellis CAN 13 2.176 2.174 40.925 40.669 1:21.594
9 Cheyenne Rosenthal GER 9 2.136 2.125 40.903 40.700 1:21.603
10 Andrea Vötter ITA 27 2.167 2.146 41.061 40.543 1:21.604
11 Verena Hofer ITA 3 2.148 2.144 40.703 40.917 1:21.620
12 Viktoriia Demchenko RUS 24 2.126 2.140 40.787 40.853 1:21.640
13 Brittney Arndt USA 10 2.180 2.181 40.806 40.850 1:21.691
14 Marion Oberhofer ITA 2 2.159 2.146 40.928 40.790 1:21.718
15 Ashley Farquharson USA 5 2.158 2.170 40.680 41.048 1:21.728
16 Ekaterina Baturina RUS 23 2.133 2.146 41.107 40.691 1:21.798
17 Raluca Stramaturaru ROU 4 2.134 2.143 40.973 40.836 1:21.809
18 Katarina Simonakova SVK 7 2.141 2.148 41.009 40.815 1:21.824
19 Klaudia Domaradzka POL 6 2.126 2.150 40.919 40.923 1:21.842
20 Nina Zöggeler ITA 8 2.142 2.156 40.830 41.012 1:21.842
21 Natalie Maag SUI 21 2.182 2.183 40.951 40.903 1:21.854
22 Madeleine Egle AUT 18 2.123 2.115 41.359 40.587 1:21.946
23 Eliza Cauce LAT 19 2.138 2.142 41.136 41.033 1:22.169
24 Emily Sweeney USA 17 2.146 2.157 41.638 40.839 1:22.477
25 Carolyn Maxwell CAN 12 2.126 2.141 40.782 41.745 1:22.527
26 Hannah Prock AUT 1 2.161 2.190 41.571 41.507 1:23.078
27 Kendija Aparjode LAT 26 2.148 2.154 42.251 40.951 1:23.202
28 Ulla Zirne LAT 22 2.180 2.173 40.930 42.710 1:23.640