Eggert/Benecken claim 30th individual World Cup win on home soil
Oberhof (RWH) The current World Champions Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (GER) have claimed the 30th individual win of their career, just one month ahead of the doubles competition at the Winter Games in PyeongChang on 14 February 2018. The overall World Cup winners in 2016/2017 clinched their seventh win of the Olympic season by the slender margin of seven thousandths of a second from arch rivals Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt, under the watchful eye of Minister-President of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow. Third place went to the Austrians Peter Penz/Georg Fischler.
After securing victory on their home track in Königssee, Wendl/Arlt had to settle for second place despite setting the pace on the first run. On the demanding artificial ice track in the Thuringian Forest, Wendl/Arlt lost the lead after making a mistake on the lower part of their second run.
The surprise result of the day involved the Polish pairing of Jerzy Chmielewski/Jakub Kowalewski. The day after they eased to victory in the Nations Cup, the 2016 U23 World Champions claimed seventh place.
After nine of thirteen events, Eggert/Benecken still lead the overall Viessmann World Cup rankings with 870 points. Wendl/Arlt are second with 652 points, and Austria’s team of Peter Penz and Georg Fischler are third on 546 points.
Quotes
Toni Eggert (GER / World Champion 2017, European Champion 2013 and 2016):
“It was a very exciting race, Wendl and Arlt have been pretty much unbeatable here for the last four years. We really had to grind out the win. They made a slight mistake, as we did, but we had such an amazing race considering our disastrous practice runs.”
Tobias Wendl (GER, Olympic Champion 2014, World Champion 2013, 2015 and 2016):
“Unfortunately we blew it. Congratulations to Sascha and Toni for winning on their home track.”
Peter Penz (AUT / World Championship silver medallist in 2015 and World Championship bronze medallist in 2012):
“It’s great to make it onto the podium in the lion’s den of Germany’s home track. We knew we had to give it everything on the second run. And we managed it.”
