Preview doubles: Eggert/Benecken relish their role as favourites

Innsbruck (RWH) They have secured victory in seven of this season’s nine races to date, and have also won the last three season-opening races at the Olympic ice track in Innsbruck. Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (Photo left) are continuing to set the benchmark in doubles during this pre-Olympic winter season. Having taken three silver medals in 2012, 2013 and 2016, they are hoping to go one step further at the 47th World Championships of the International Luge Federation (FIL) in Innsbruck.

The duo from Thuringia view their role as favorites to be more an honor than a weight on their shoulders. “We really enjoy this role,” claims Sascha Benecken in reference to their season so far and three wins in a row in Innsbruck (2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016). “The track has been referred to as our living room before. So it’s time for us to settle in and add a nice house plant in the form of the World Championship title.”

They may be in perfect harmony on the sled, but away from the track they have two very different personalities. Toni Eggert wears his heart on his sleeve, often not thinking about what he is saying. Sascha Benecken is more of a diplomat who evaluates a situation before expressing his opinion. Eggert recently acquired a stunt pilot license and spends most of his free time above the clouds, or with Julia Taubitz, the Junior Luge World Champion.

Sascha Benecken writes poetry and plays guitar, and even sang the official song (“Adrenaline”) for the 38th FIL World Championships in Oberhof back in 2008. Benecken, who works as a policeman, used to compete in the singles. At the 2010 Junior World Championships in Innsbruck he took bronze in the single-seater behind that year’s champion Julian von Schleinitz (GER), and none other than Semen Pavlichenko (RUS), the 2015 World Champion and two-time European Champion.

The duo’s main challengers are Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER), who have just managed to edge ahead at all the main events in recent years, including the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and at all World Championships since 2015. This time around, Wendl/Arlt have managed just two wins in the pre-Olympic winter season and are second in the overall Viessmann World Cup standings, but out of the running for overall victory owing to a deficit of 185 points.