Despite broken foot: Steu/Koller continue Altenberg winning streak

Altenberg (FIL) What a comeback for Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller. At the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Altenberg, the two Austrians, last season's overall World Cup winners, won their first race in the Olympic winter.
 
They had to compete in the Nations Cup on Friday and qualified with a win, then followed it up with their ninth World Cup success on Saturday 0.003 seconds ahead of Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken of Germany. "It was a thousandths thriller," Thomas Steu rejoiced. With their fourth Altenberg triumph in a row, the Austrians continued their impressive winning streak in the Saxon Osterzgebirge.

The German double Eggert/Benecken moved closer again to the Latvian duo Andris and Juris Sics, who finished fifth, with their second place. Nevertheless, Sascha Benecken was annoyed: "Three thousandths of a second behind is not the world. What is very annoying is the 15 points we lose." After nine podium finishes in a row, Sics/Sics were only the second best Latvian doubles, as Martins Bots and Roberts Plume had made it to the podium in third.

The man of the doubles competition, however, was Thomas Steu. Almost three weeks ago, the Austrian had broken his metatarsal during training in Sochi and had to take a break at home in Vorarlberg. On Thursday it was still not clear whether the duo would be able to start. But after the last training run, the 27-year-old Steu decided: "It's possible." Although he is not yet allowed to put full weight on his foot and therefore limped to the start and out of the finish area with a crutch as a precaution, he presented himself as confidently as usual on the sled. He even mastered a near fall in run one with all his routine and the second best running time. "The adrenaline makes sure that the pain is bearable, on the sled it goes", Steu said about his damaged foot.
 
For more information on the 4th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup of the 2021/22 season in Altenberg (GER), please visit the following link:
https://www.fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-11