From Kühtai, AUT
(January 19, 2025) – Evelin Lanthaler has been the class of the natural track FIL World Cup tour for well over a half of a decade now. She’s been undefeated for years, and once again took gold, this time in a historic World Championships.
On the new 730 meter Kühtai course, Evelin Lanthaler took a .76 second lead over teammate Jenny Castiglioni in the first heat, with Austria’s Riccarda Ruetz in third only .04 behind Castiglioni.
In the second and final run of day one for the women, Lanthaler was beaten in a heat for the second time in the 2024/2025 season, as Ruetz out-slid Lanthaler by .04. That slide, coupled with a fifth quickest slide by Castiglioni put Ruetz into second going into the final heat on Sunday.
Lanthaler may have been beat in one heat, but she wasn’t about to be beaten across all three. Her third and final run was the quickest of the entire race and more than enough to take victory for her fifth FIL World Championship women’s luge gold medal, 1.11 seconds ahead of Ruetz, with Castiglioni third.
Lanthaler’s win was her fifth World Championships victory, one more than Russia’s Ekaterina Lavrenteva, the previous record holder.
Ruetz, the 2024 junior world champion, got her first senior world champs medal with a silver.
“My main goal was to successfully defend my title, and I did it,” Lanthaler told FIL media after the race.
Italy’s Nadine Staffler missed out on a medal by just .11 seconds in fourth, with Austria’s Tina Unterberger rounding out the top five.
The United States’ Katie Cookman was 11th, second among the non-Austrian and Italian sliders in Kühtai. Canada’s Nadja Loder was 16th.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 3 | Total |
| 1 | Evelin Lanthaler | ITA | 17 | 57.09 | 57.64 | 57.06 | 2:51.79 |
| 2 | Riccarda Ruetz | AUT | 18 | 57.89 | 57.60 | 57.41 | 2:52.90 |
| 3 | Jenny Castiglioni | ITA | 12 | 57.85 | 58.48 | 57.77 | 2:54.10 |
| 4 | Nadine Staffler | ITA | 20 | 57.89 | 58.21 | 58.11 | 2:54.21 |
| 5 | Tina Unterberger | AUT | 16 | 58.23 | 58.07 | 58.13 | 2:54.43 |
| 6 | Daniela Mittermair | ITA | 19 | 58.13 | 58.49 | 58.51 | 2:55.13 |
| 7 | Lisa Walch | GER | 14 | 58.71 | 58.56 | 58.97 | 2:54.24 |
| 8 | Tina Stuffer | ITA | 15 | 58.59 | 59.87 | 58.93 | 2:57.39 |
| 9 | Naomi Thöni | AUT | 7 | 59.20 | 59.76 | 58.99 | 2:57.95 |
| 10 | Carina Miller | AUT | 6 | 61.06 | 60.85 | 60.12 | 3:02.03 |
| 11 | Katie Cookman | USA | 10 | 62.52 | 61.63 | 60.97 | 3:05.12 |
| 12 | Ruby Holland-Moritz | GER | 2 | 61.13 | 61.80 | 62.26 | 3:05.19 |
| 13 | Patricija Urbanc | CRO | 13 | 63.14 | 62.33 | 62.24 | 3:07.71 |
| 14 | Magdalena Enig | GER | 8 | 65.12 | 64.60 | 63.80 | 3:13.61 |
| 15 | Maja Poda | POL | 4 | 66.65 | 67.55 | 66.67 | 3:20.87 |
| 16 | Nadja Loder | CAN | 5 | 72.33 | 67.41 | 68.52 | 2:28.26 |
| 17 | Mihaela Boca | ROU | 1 | 71.23 | 69.70 | 69.35 | 3:30.28 |