Janine Flock celebrates historic victory at the World Cup in Winterberg!

Janine Flock celebrates historic victory at the World Cup in Winterberg!

On Friday, January 3, 2025, Austrian skeleton rider Janine Flock delivered an extraordinary performance at the World Cup in Winterberg. She secured her first win of the season with an overall time that brought her to the finish 0.27 seconds ahead of Czech Anna Fernstedt and 0.29 seconds ahead of German Olympic champion Hannah Neise. Flock celebrated this success: “I’m very happy to be back at the top!” This marks her eleventh World Cup victory overall and a new record for the most podium finishes in the history of the competition. She also overtook former world champion Tina Hermann, who recently ended her career, in the all-time podium ranking krone.at reported.

Returns and placements

Meanwhile, the two Olympic champions Christopher Grotheer and Hannah Neise also achieved remarkable results. Grotheer, who missed the last World Cup in Sigulda due to muscle problems, returned with a third place. Neise, who was only fifth in the first run, fought her way up to third place in the second run. “I wasn't doing so well with my start time,” reflected the 23-year-old athlete, who remains at the top of the overall World Cup despite not making it to the podium in the first round. The British Matt Weston secured victory in the men's competition, while Samuel Maier from Austria took second place wn.de.

Another highlight of the competition was the debut of Viktoria Dönicke, who attracted attention with impressive starting times. She immediately improved her first time of 5.22 seconds to 5.20 seconds, which ultimately secured her tenth place. The competition in Winterberg was not only a special event for the athletes, but also a sign of the exciting competition in skeleton sport on the international stage.