Eggert/Benecken win season finale – Wendl/Arlt secure overall victory

Winterberg (RWH)  Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (GER) have won the season finale of the Viessmann Luge World Cup. Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER) clinched second place in Winterberg to dispel any lingering doubts and claim their fourth overall victory.

The Latvian pairing of Oskars Gudramovics/Peteris Kalnins finished third in Hochsauerland, equalling their best result of the season in Sigulda.

European Champions Eggert/Benecken gave a powerful demonstration of their abilities by setting new start and track records (2.996 and 43.158 seconds) on the first run before going on the secure their 14th win of the season with ease. Meanwhile, Wendl/Arlt claimed the fourth overall victory of their career. The three-time World Champions are now on their own in third place in the all-time list of overall winners behind the Italians Hansjörg Raffl/Norbert Huber (ITA / eight overall victories) and Patric Leitner/Alexander Resch (GER / six overall victories). Despite a crash, the Austrian duo of Peter Penz/Georg Fischler (785) finished third overall behind Wendl/Arlt (1,037) and Eggert/Benecken (962).

Quotes

Toni Eggert (GER / 2016 European Champion)

“Both runs on the sled were pretty hair-raising. We could easily have crashed on a couple of occasions. But this is a positive end to a season of ups and downs.”

Tobias Wendl (GER, 2014 Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion and four-time overall World Cup winner)

“I think we deserved to win the overall title. The season didn’t get off to a good start, but our only major disaster was in Lake Placid. Aside from that we were always in contention at the front.”

Peteris Kalnins (LAT / third in the Viessmann Luge World Cup in 2016 in Sigulda and Winterberg)

“A lot of competitors ran out of steam towards the end of the season. We started the race feeling relaxed and under no pressure, so maybe that’s why it went so well.”