World Championship silver medallist Natalie Maag wants to establish herself among the world's best

The news from Natalie Maag does not sound very promising. At the last training camp, the athlete from the Zurich Oberland, who celebrates her 27th birthday on Friday, fell down a flight of stairs. "The anterior ligament in her foot is torn and the collateral ligaments and syndesmosis ligament are torn," she reports from Lillehammer, where the luge World Cup season begins on Saturday.

She will still compete, but "it will certainly be with me for the first three World Cups". She still has some difficulty stretching her foot, which has a negative effect in the battle for thousandths of a second. Maag was already only able to train to a limited extent in the summer due to a capsule injury to her finger and problems with her shoulder.

Summer training in Switzerland

Nevertheless, she is confident about the coming months and, above all, the 2026 Olympic year. Of course, her experience from last season will help. As she has done for many years, the Swiss athlete completes her track training sessions with the German team, whose coaches also look after her. Last year, however, she returned to her home country for most of the summer for the first time. This has proved successful, she works together with Daniela Mühlebach in the athletic area and is now "mega happy" with her strength test results, as she says.

Last season was not easy at first either. Although Maag established herself in the top ten, she also struggled with "enormous mental problems". This made her exploit at the World Championships all the more important, when the Zurich Oberland native from Wernetshausen near Hinwil sensationally took silver in the actually unloved sprint - behind her German roommate and best friend Julia Taubitz. But it meant almost more to her that she was able to confirm this podium three weeks later with another 2nd place in the World Cup.

No more sprint

There will no longer be a sprint this season, but Maag doesn't mind, as she never really got to grips with it. Instead, there will be a mixed competition. Due to a lack of men in her own country, the Swiss athlete will be competing with Alex Ferlazzo from Australia, who finished fifth at the World Championships, and is "really looking forward to it". "I can finally hit the touchpad (which is used to release the start gate for the partner at the finish)," she says with a laugh.

Maag has already noticed a slight change in perception among her German training partners. She is now seen more than ever as a competitor to be taken seriously and is sometimes placed at the back of the starters during training runs so that the others can benefit from the best track conditions. However, the cooperation with the new national coach Patric Leitner, whom she has known for a long time, is still very good.

Looking forward to the Olympic track

Even if the start will now be painful and somewhat complicated, Maag has another highlight in store at the end of the season. At the end of March, she will be one of only three skiers to test the new Olympic track in Cortina d'Ampezzo. She fervently hopes that the ice track in the Italian resort will be ready in time. It is currently halfway finished. "China was very special, with coronavirus and without spectators," recalls the Olympic ninth-placer from Beijing. "It wouldn't be nice if we lugers and bobsleighers had to race in another country."

For now, however, Maag's most obvious wish is to "stay healthy." Or get healthy as quickly as possible.