On ice for gold
The Eberspächer Luge World Cup 2025/2026 promises excitement: nine races on two continents – who will win the crystal globes? In the women's competition, defending champion Julia Taubitz is considered the big favorite. The highlight of the season will be the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from February 6 to 22, 2026. Here, the luge athletes will be in the spotlight of sports fans from all over the world.
Curious Olympic moments in luge
The Egg Helmet
20 November 2025 – Time is measured to the nearest thousandth of a second in luge – every little aerodynamic detail counts. In 1976 in Innsbruck-Igls (Austria), West German athletes relied on the yellow “egg helmet,” developed with an aerospace company. Josef Fendt secretly tested it at night in a wind tunnel—the surprise effect worked: silver for Fendt, bronze for Elisabeth Demleitner. Shortly thereafter, the helmet was banned by the FIL.
The Porsche sled
Georg Hackl, three-time Olympic champion, developed a sled for the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City with adjustable handling characteristics during the race – ideal for different curve radii. This was implemented with the help of engineers from the Porsche Development Center in Weissach (Germany). Innovative, but quickly banned by the association.
The advertising character “Bruno Banani”
In 2014 in Sochi, Tongan athlete Fuahea Semi officially competed under the name “Bruno Banani” as part of a PR campaign for an underwear brand. Supported by the Tongan royal family, he trained with the German team and finished 32nd in the men's singles, leaving seven lugers behind him.
The road sledder
Shiva Keshavan from India trained at speeds of up to 100 km/h on mountain roads in the Himalayas with a converted street sled due to the lack of an ice track – slaloming between trucks and flocks of sheep. His Olympic debut in Nagano in 1998 with borrowed equipment went down in history. The Asian champion's best result was 25th place in Vancouver in 2010.
Five questions for Julia Taubitz
World Champion & Overall World Cup Winner
Julia Taubitz is the top favorite for the upcoming races as a five-time overall World Cup winner and eight-time world champion.
Reason enough to learn more about her and her goals.
What is your goal for the winter season?
An Olympic medal – that's my big goal.
Which is more important – the overall World Cup or the Olympics?
Definitely the Olympics. Winning Olympic gold is one of my three sporting goals, alongside the World Championship title and overall World Cup victory.
Would you retire if you won Olympic gold?
No. I just love racing down the ice track and enjoy the sport too much.
Are you tempted by Nathalie Geisenberger's record of eight overall World Cup victories?
That's not a fixed goal. If it happens, it will motivate me even more.
How do you spend your time outside the ice channel?
I own a tiny house on the Baltic Sea and a motorhome. I use the house twice a year. The motorhome was a long-cherished dream and I enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives me – I was recently in France surfing.
