Berchtesgaden (RWH) They won six of nine Viessmann World Cups, came second twice and – no surprise here – took gold at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi: Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who won a second Olympic gold medal with the German team relay, shaped the 2013-2014 season to an extent rarely seen by a doubles team in the past. And the “two Tobis” are unlikely to stop notching up successes in the post-Olympic winter. The hunger for victory shown by the most outstanding duo in recent history is far from being stilled. Their foremost aim for the new season is victory in the 45th FIL World Championships in Sigulda (LAT), where the ice track is not exactly the German lugers’ favorite. “It’s not a secret”, said Tobias Arlt quite openly, “but our two gold medals aren’t going to stop us from looking to develop and improve our techniques.” The duo have enjoyed the attention, accolades and receptions since the Olympics: “It’s nice to be at the center of attention for a while – it’s also good for our sport,” said Tobias Arlt, “but now it’s back to business as usual.” Training started as early as May with strenuous weight training, work on the sleds, and all the normal activities required before a luge season begins. Apart from Wendl/Arlt, the only other active teams ever to have won a Viessmann World Cup are European Champions Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber of Italy, Germany’s Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, and Austrian duo Peter Penz and Georg Fischler. The 2012 European Champions sporting the red, white and red flag are Austria’s only real candidates for medals since the retirement of two-time Olympic Champions Andreas and Wolfgang Linger. Latvia’s Andris and Juris Šics are also hoping for podium placings this time around, as despite two Olympic medals (silver in 2010 and bronze in 2014) they have never come out on top in a Viessmann World Cup. And Canadian lugers Tristan Walker and Justin Snith, who finished fourth at the Olympics, have made it into just one time to the top three in a World Cup race. The US team has put together a new doubles team comprising Matthew Mortensen, who wound up 14th in the Olympics with Preston Griffall, and Jayson Terdiman, who slid to 11th with Christian Niccum. Russia’s hopes are centered on Alexandr Denisyev and Vladislav Antonov – who raced to a surprising fifth at Sochi – and, of course, Vladislav Yuzhakov and Vladimir Mahknutin, who had hoped for more than a ninth at the Olympics.