The FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1998 took place in Rautavaara, Finland. It marked the first time the championships were held outside the traditional locations of Austria, Germany, or Italy.
Reinhard Gruber ended Gerhard Pilz's reign of five straight World Championships in men's singles natural track luge.
Panyutina won her third medal of the championships in the 1990s representing her third different country (1990: bronze for the Soviet Union, 1992: gold for the Commonwealth of Independent States).
Reinhard Gruber (ITA)
Lyubov Panyutina (RUS)
Austria (Andi Ruetz, Helmut Ruetz)
