Luge World Cup: Hackl’s triumph with Austria
vsquatted by luck and by his mentor Georg Hackl Felix hole Posted in the Innsbruck ice rink – it was a highly symbolic image at the start of the Toboggan World Cup in Austria. For the hosts, the home game was the greatest possible triumph, all victories in the main competitions went to Hackl’s new sporting home. Germany, on the other hand, was beaten, most notably among the men: Loch fell heavily and ended up 15th.
Was all this the Hackl effect? He himself did not want to overstate the result. “It was just a home World Cup to start with, which went well and happily,” Hackl said on ARD: Whether in men, women or in both doubles categories – victory always went to Austria.
It became particularly clear on Sunday. Loch was already hopelessly behind after the first run in sixth place, in the end Nico Gleirscher won ahead of his compatriots Wolfgang Kindl, Jonas Müller and David Gleirscher. Best German: World Cup debutant Timon Grancagnolo in seventh. Loch looked battered after his fall, but left the ice channel on his own. “Of course you get a raise,” said Hackl, “Felix is a good friend.”
Hackl was a mentor as a coach, especially for the only dominator, and then surprisingly changed sides last May. Now he is supposed to help Austria to “pass the luge superpower Germany and become number one”, as confirmed by Markus Prock, President of the Austrian federation.