Geisenberger makes it a hat-trick of European titles

The race was severely hampered by the weather with heavy snow during the second run meaning only the first run counted towards the result as only eight competitors had taken to the track.

Germany's Geisenberger was quickest in that first run, posting a time of 51.178 to edge out Russia's Tatyana Ivanova by 0.151 seconds. Geisenberger's compatriot Tatjana Huefner completed the podium in third.

Victory was three-time World champion Geisenberger's second of the season and 35th individual win of her career and she now takes the leaders bib in the overall World Cup standings ahead of Huefner and Canada's Alex Gough.

"I would love to have had a second run, but there's nothing we can do when the weather is like that," said the 28-year-old, who added to her 2008 and 2013 European crowns.

"But at the end of the day, a European title is a European title!"

Elsewhere on Thursday, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt continued their unbeaten run on the artificial ice track in Koenigssee to clinch the European title for the second time in three years.

Germany's Olympic champions beat compatriots and defending European Champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken to remain undefeated on the oldest artificial ice track in the world for the eighth consecutive season.

Germany completed a clean sweep of the medals with Robin Geueke and David Gamm taking bronze.

After seven of 12 rounds, Eggert and Benecken hold onto their overall World Cup lead with 655 points ahead of Wendl and Arlt on 567 and Geueke and Gamm on 445.

Arlt said: "We weren't worried about our unbeaten run, but we were shivering with cold. You can either get lucky or lose out in these conditions, but the track workers have done a good job. The conditions were fair for everyone."

Sportsbeat 2017