Olympic Preview Doubles: Stunt pilot and artist form winning pairing

PyeongChang (RWH) One is an ambitious stunt pilot, the other has an artistic bent: together they are the best luge duo in the world today. Toni Eggert, who owns an aerobatic plane, and Sascha Benecken, who writes songs and poetry, may enjoy radically different hobbies but when they climb on board a two-seater sled 30-year-old Eggert and his partner, who is two years younger, form a nigh-on unbeatable racing unit.

“We are very pleased with our current performance,” says Sascha Benecken with a degree of understatement ahead of the season climax, the doubles luge at the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang on February 14, 2018. Believe it or not, the duo have won an incredible 19 of 25 World Cup races over the last two winter seasons of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. They recently defended their overall victory in the Viessmann World Cup and have also claimed almost every conceivable title on their lightning-quick sled: 2017 World Champions, 2018 European Champions, and 2018 German Champions.

The only medal missing from their collection is Olympic gold. The duo went into the 2014 Games as medal contenders but could finish no higher than a disappointing eighth. The events of Sochi 2014 have long since been put to bed, and there is no lasting trauma. “The Olympic Games are for me – and for Toni too, I think – part of our history, part of the rocky road to the very top,” says Sascha Benecken. “If you compare 2014-spec Eggert/Benecken with today’s version, you’ll find we’re quite different.”

In fact they are more successful, more consistent, and much tougher mentally. With their World Championship gold medal in 2017, the legendary pairing finally overcame any residual fear of major events. “We are one of the doubles pairings who have managed to improve year after year. After an almost unbeatable 2016/2017 season, we managed to go one better.”

One of the secrets of their success is the self-built sled that Toni Eggert and his father have painstakingly continued to develop. The Eggert sled has long been considered one of the best pieces of work in the sport. Incidentally, the duo also receive support from a major steel group. And in the interests of individuality, both lugers have different helmet sponsors.

Their main rivals are the Sochi Olympic Champions Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER), the Austrians Peter Penz/Georg Fischler, who achieved eight podium finishes in the Olympic Winter, and the Sics brothers from Latvia. Andris and Juris won Olympic silver in 2010 and bronze in 2014, and also added a bonus team relay bronze in Sochi. The brothers recently claimed their first ever podium finish on home soil when they claimed silver at the European Championships in Sigulda.