From Umhausen, AUT
(February 8, 2025) – Evelin Lanthaler is no stranger to the top of the women’s luge podium. Coming into the double event weekend in Umhausen she’d won 55 races, 32 of those in a row with 43 coming in her last 44 events leading to Austria.
But number 56 was special. Her win on Saturday set her apart from every other women’s luge athlete, as she pulled one ahead of Russia’s Ekaterina Lavrenteva.
As she’s done throughout her career, Lanthaler opened up a huge lead on the field in the first heat, as she pulled ahead of Austria’s Tina Unterberger by .61, with teammate Nadine Staffler the only other slider with a full second of her after one run.
In the second heat, Staffler was outslid by Austria’s Riccarda Ruetz, but had enough in the bank from the first heat to take the lead by .17.
Unterberger was next, and threw down a big second effort as she took the lead by well over a second ahead of Staffler, and putting just a bit of pressure on the Italian great.
But Lanthaler had been in this position time and time again over the course of her World Cup 32 race winning streak. She was actually outstarted by Unterberger, and throughout the first half of her run slowly gave away time to the Austrian. However, Lanthaler rallied late and pulled back away of Unterberger to win the heat by .06 and the race by .67 for win number 56, with Unterberger silver and Staffler bronze.
Lanthaler’s win was her 33rd straight on the World Cup tour and 44 in her last 45 races.
“I heard the stadium speaker during my run and thought to myself “I need to push hard now otherwise he wouldn’t be commenting so loudly,” Lanthaler told FIL media after the race.
Ruetz finished fourth, ahead of Germany’s Lisa Walch and Italy’s Jenny Castiglioni.
American Katie Cookman finished tenth, and Canada’s Nadja Loder 13th.
With two races to go in the 2024/2025 season, Lanthaler sits handily in the drivers seat with a perfect 500 points. Unterberger is second, 150 points back, with Ruetz third, 6o behind Unterberger.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Evelin Lanthaler | ITA | 17 | 11.74 | 11.79 | 73.99 | 74.01 | 2:28.00 |
| 2 | Tina Unterberger | AUT | 16 | 11.80 | 11.76 | 74.60 | 74.07 | 2:28.67 |
| 3 | Nadine Staffler | ITA | 13 | 11.89 | 11.91 | 74.98 | 75.36 | 2:30.34 |
| 4 | Riccarda Ruetz | AUT | 14 | 11.99 | 11.98 | 75.33 | 75.18 | 2:30.51 |
| 5 | Lisa Walch | GER | 12 | 11.90 | 12.07 | 75.30 | 75.67 | 2:30.97 |
| 6 | Jenny Castiglioni | ITA | 11 | 11.91 | 11.89 | 75.53 | 75.61 | 2:31.14 |
| 7 | Daniela Mittermair | ITA | 15 | 11.84 | 11.99 | 75.61 | 75.80 | 2:31.41 |
| 8 | Naomi Thöni | AUT | 7 | 12.11 | 12.26 | 76.11 | 76.67 | 2:32.78 |
| 9 | Alina Schaffenrath | AUT | 1 | 12.22 | 12.28 | 77.02 | 76.26 | 2:33.28 |
| 10 | Katie Cookman | USA | 9 | 12.25 | 12.26 | 77.49 | 78.07 | 2:35.56 |
| 11 | Patricija Urbanc | CRO | 8 | 12.60 | 12.50 | 69.35 | 69.10 | 2:38.45 |
| 12 | Magdalena Ening | GER | 4 | 12.55 | 12.67 | 81.06 | 80.54 | 2:41.60 |
| 13 | Nadja Loder | CAN | 3 | 12.84 | 12.84 | 86.99 | 86.21 | 2:53.20 |
| 14 | Tina Stuffer | ITA | 10 | 11.91 | 75.65 | |||
| 15 | Hannah Nagele | ATU | 6 | 12.18 | 77.27 | |||
| 16 | Emma Ruetz | AUT | 2 | 12.17 | 78.44 | |||
| 17 | Lotte Musler | ITA | 5 | 11.87 | 79.21 |