For the first time in eight years, there will be a new World Cup women's luge champion.
Germany's Natalie Geisenberger — the seven-time defending champion and two-time defending Olympic singles gold medalist — announced Monday that she isn't sliding this season because she and her husband are expecting their first child in April.
"Our happiness is on the way," Geisenberger said on her Facebook page.
Geisenberger plans to return next season and still has hopes to compete at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she could match fellow German great Georg Hackl's feat of winning three consecutive singles golds.
With Geisenberger not sliding this season, the top returning women from last year's World Cup standings now are Julia Taubitz of Germany and Summer Britcher of the U.S. — second and third, respectively, in 2018-19.
Geisenberger has a luge record-tying four Olympic golds in all, being part of Germany's victories in the team relays in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018 as well. Her 49 World Cup singles wins are another record, and she's one of two sliders to win seven consecutive World Cup points titles — Austria's Markus Prock took the men's championships each year from 1990-91 through 1996-97.
Geisenberger's break from sliding only adds to how the World Cup standings — and the German roster — will look very different this season. Dajana Eitberger, who was fourth in last season's World Cup standings, is also pregnant and expecting a baby in February. And Tatjana Huefner, who was sixth overall last season, has retired.
Huefner won five consecutive World Cup points titles before Geisenberger took over and began her seven-year streak of championships. Geisenberger medaled 11 times in 12 singles races last year — six golds, four silvers and one bronze.
"We are so happy for you even though we will miss you this season!" two-time Olympic singles gold medalist Felix Loch of Germany wrote in a message to Geisenberger on Instagram.
Geisenberger has been in the top three of the World Cup standings in 12 consecutive seasons. She was third in 2007-08, finished second in each of the next four seasons, and then began her title streak in 2012-13.
