From Lillehammer, NOR
(November 30, 2024) – Julia Taubitz entered the 2024/2025 season as the winningest active slider on the women’s luge tour. The German continued those winning ways by holding off American Emily Sweeney in Lillehammer to open the FIL World Cup season.
Taubitz set a track record in the first heat as she slid to the lead ahead of reigning world champion Lisa Schulte of Austria, with Schulte’s teammate Barbara Allmaier in third looking for her first World Cup medal.
But it was American Emily Sweeney who made the big splash in the second heat. Sweeney was just a few thousandths slower off the top, but made up for it with an outstanding second slide that broke Taubitz’s track record and put her in the lead with three sleds to go.
Neither Austrian could match Sweeney’s time, with Schulte falling in behind the American and Allmaier just behind Schulte with only Taubitz to go.
Taubitz, the reigning World Cup champion, found a few thousandths off the top, and paired that with a second run that nearly matched her first. While it wasn’t enough to take the track record away from Sweeney, it was enough to hold off the American by .092 to win her 28th World Cup gold medal.
Sweeney took silver and the track record, while Schulte won bronze.
Despite the gold medal, Taubitz wasn’t 100% thrilled with her effort.
“The second run was so hard for me,” Taubitz told FIL TV after the race. “I Made some mistakes and almost crashed in 14-15-16. I wanted the track record, but Emily got it!”
Despite missing out on gold, Sweeney was thrilled with a silver.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s awesome, I didn’t expect to walk away with a track record. I’m really proud of my start times this race, too!”
Behind Allmaier, German Merle Fräbel put down a pair of clean and quick runs to finish fifth.
The American women continued a strong start to the season in Lillehammer with three athletes in the top ten. On top of Sweeney’s silver, Summer Britcher slid to a sixth place finish, while Ashley Farquharson took eighth place.
Emma Erickson had trouble at the start of her first heat run and finished 30th to round out the American effort.
Canada had three women in the season opener in Lillehammer. Caitlin Nash led the team with an 17th place finish, only .048 ahead of teammate Trinity Ellis in 19th. Carolyn Maxwell was the third and final Canadian in the field and finished 21st.
New to the FIL World Cup is a cut system where only the top 20 make the second heat, which meant from Maxwell in 21st onward sliders did not receive a second run.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Julia Taubitz | GER | 13 | 2.382 | 2.379 | 46.935 | 46.963 | 1:33.898 |
| 2 | Emily Sweeney | USA | 9 | 2.344 | 2.350 | 47.123 | 46.867 | 1:33.990 |
| 3 | Lisa Schulte | AUT | 15 | 2.372 | 2.372 | 47.016 | 47.034 | 1:34.050 |
| 4 | Barbara Allmaier | AUT | 5 | 2.372 | 2.408 | 47.021 | 47.137 | 1:34.158 |
| 5 | Merle Fräbel | GER | 16 | 2.352 | 2.351 | 47.252 | 47.054 | 1:34.306 |
| 6 | Summer Britcher | USA | 10 | 2.366 | 2.357 | 47.218 | 47.103 | 1:34.321 |
| 7 | Madeleine Egle | AUT | 11 | 2.352 | 2.347 | 47.302 | 47.039 | 1:34.341 |
| 8 | Ashley Farquharson | USA | 17 | 2.372 | 2.375 | 47.285 | 47.065 | 1:34.350 |
| 9 | Dorothea Schwarz | AUT | 4 | 2.385 | 2.390 | 47.209 | 47.156 | 1:34.365 |
| 10 | Sandra Robatscher | ITA | 21 | 2.377 | 2.393 | 47.299 | 47.165 | 1:34.464 |
| 11 | Natalie Maag | SUI | 7 | 2.373 | 2.366 | 47.346 | 47.225 | 1:34.571 |
| 12 | Kendija Aparjode | LAT | 8 | 2.368 | 2.377 | 47.338 | 47.236 | 1:34.574 |
| 13 | Elina Bota | LAT | 12 | 2.353 | 2.347 | 47.346 | 47.245 | 1:34.591 |
| 14 | Anna Berreiter | GER | 14 | 2.360 | 2.352 | 47.421 | 47.205 | 1:34.626 |
| 15 | Melina Fischer | GER | 1 | 2.358 | 2.366 | 47.436 | 47.464 | 1:34.900 |
| 16 | Verena Hofer | ITA | 6 | 2.362 | 2.361 | 47.533 | 47.396 | 1:34.929 |
| 17 | Caitlin Nash | CAN | 3 | 2.364 | 2.363 | 47.583 | 47.450 | 1:35.033 |
| 18 | Nina Zöggeler | ITA | 2 | 2.381 | 2.388 | 47.528 | 47.527 | 1:35.055 |
| 19 | Trinity Ellis | CAN | 18 | 2.365 | 2.368 | 47.530 | 47.551 | 1:35.081 |
| 20 | Yulianna Tunytska | UKR | 20 | 2.364 | 2.365 | 47.633 | 47.647 | 1:35.280 |
| 21 | Carolyn Maxwell | CAN | 22 | 2.365 | 47.678 | |||
| 22 | Tove Kohala | SWE | 24 | 2.392 | 47.696 | |||
| 23 | Klaudia Domaradzka | POL | 23 | 2.375 | 47.807 | |||
| 24 | Huilan Hu | CHN | 25 | 2.382 | 48.067 | |||
| 25 | Peixuan Wang | CHN | 27 | 2.370 | 48.310 | |||
| 26 | Olena Stetskiv | UKR | 28 | 2.397 | 48.339 | |||
| 27 | Zane Kaluma | LAT | 26 | 2.387 | 48.469 | |||
| 28 | Ioana-Corina Buzatoiu | ROU | 19 | 2.367 | 48.565 | |||
| 29 | Olena Smaha | UKR | 30 | 2.368 | 48.651 | |||
| 30 | Emma Erickson | USA | 29 | 2.426 | 51.607 |
