Sigulda (pps) Host Russia will be competing at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games with another title to their credit: About two weeks prior to the Opening Ceremony in Sochi on the Black Sea coast, the Russian squad with Natalia Khoreva, Albert Demchenko and the doubles of Vladislav Yuzhakov-Vladislav Makhnutin earned their second Team Relay gold medal at the 45th European Championships of the International Luge Federation (FIL).

The relay team of Latvia with Eliza Tiruma, Martins Rubenis and Andris Sics-Juris Sics claimed the silver medal ahead of Italy with Sandra Gasparini, Armin Zoeggeler and Christian Oberstolz-Patrick Gruber, who finished in third position.

For the first time since the Team Relay event became part of the FIL Championship program in 2008, the German team went away without a medal. As the German Olympic squad did not travel to Sigulda, the ‘B team’ with Dajana Eitberger, Johannes Ludwig and Robin Geuke-David Gamm had to make do with a sixth place finish.