After Doping Ban: Madeleine Egle Makes Decision

Madeleine Egle will continue her career.

The 27-year-old Tyrolean, who was retrospectively banned from March 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026, due to three missed unannounced doping controls in 2023, has dismissed her temporary thoughts of retirement and is already working on her return to elite sports.

Egle had long kept quiet about her sporting future. Now it's clear: The 16-time World Cup winner wants another shot.

"The decision to return to elite sports was not spontaneous, but has matured over the past few months. I want to attack again and be successful in sports," says the Rinn native.

"I Needed Distance"

Egle deliberately used the past months to gain distance from competitive sports. "It was hard to accept the extent of the punishment and even harder to process the consequences. In that phase, I first needed distance and then put my full focus on my education and training," explains the 2024 European champion.

In March, Egle completed her Bachelor's degree and also gained professional experience at the University of Innsbruck. "That's worth a lot because these new challenges, different circles of friends, and the distance from competitive sports helped me gain clarity in my thoughts and plans," she says.

Ban Expires End of October

Since her last race in February 2025, Egle has been keeping fit with an individual training program. From September 1st, she will be allowed to train with the Rodel Austria team again. Her ban expires on October 31st.

However, it remains to be seen how quickly Egle can return to her former level. "My last race was in February 2025, it will definitely require patience, and it remains to be seen if the path to La Plagne is the right one for me," says the Tyrolean, looking ahead to the upcoming season.

World Cup Start in November

The 2026/27 World Cup winter begins on the last weekend of November in Winterberg and includes nine stops in seven countries. La Plagne also returns to the calendar, which will be the venue for the Olympic luge competitions in 2030.

The highlight of the season will take place in February in Innsbruck/Igls. For the first time in the history of luge, World Championship medals in artificial track and alpine luge will be awarded simultaneously at the same location.