Selina Egle and Lara Kipp – the ideal doubles duo

Luge Women’s doubles athletes on their way to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026

Cortina (FIL/02 Feb 2026) Selina Egle and Lara Kipp can no longer remember exactly when their friendship began. “It's been forever,” says Kipp. They went to the same school in Innsbruck. And they both did luge. They never dreamed that one day they would be doing luge together. Racing down the ice channels in a doubles sled was definitely not part of their sporting plans. But it was part of their coaches' plans. “First, we were put in the same room,” says Kipp, “then we were persuaded to race together in a doubles sled.” The difference in height between the two – Egle is 1.84 meters tall, Kipp 1.63 meters – is also ideal for a doubles sled. Steerswoman Egle adds: “They needed a doubles team for the Youth Olympic Games.”

And what a doubles team they make. In 2024, they became World Champions in Altenberg. They defended their title last winter in Whistler, where they also won gold in the mixed competition together with Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl. They also have three European Championship titles in the doubles and team relay, as well as victory in the overall World Cup last season. The two Austrians have won a total of 16 World Cup races, putting them just ahead of their long-time German rivals Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (14) in the rankings.

Although Selina Egle and Lara Kipp hit it off right from the start, sporting success took a while to materialize. This was partly due to Degenhardt, who won the first Youth Olympic Games in Switzerland in 2020 with her then partner Vanessa Schneider and then became the first World Champions in women's doubles with Cheyenne Rosenthal.

Gradually, the two 23-year-old Austrians – Kipp is three months older than Egle – got to know each other and the lanes. Since then, everything has been going well. “We've always been well equipped in terms of material,” explains Egle, “and communication with the coaches works very well.”

Daily training, constant traveling, stress on the track  – of course, two friends like Selina Egle and Lara Kipp need a little distance once in a while. But not for too long. “We also see each other outside of training,” says Egle. For example, to eat ice cream in Innsbruck. After the season, snowboarding is also on the agenda. Or they go on vacation together. Cyprus was their last destination. There is only one hobby that Selina Egle does not want to share with her sports partner: putting together puzzles. “Since Corona, I've been doing them with my mom,” reveals Kipp. The largest one so far had 9,000 pieces and resulted in a picture measuring two by 1.20 meters.

While Team Austria has a high level of performance in the women's and men's singles and in the men's doubles, Selina Egle and Lara Kipp are the only ones competing in the women's event. “We definitely need a second doubles team so we can push each other,” Egle laments, “but we don't know any different and try to compete with the men.” As a result, they don't know where they stand before the season. But orienting themselves towards the men has always brought them far ahead.

They are also expected to be at the forefront at the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The fact that they will be going into the races at the “Cortina Sliding Centre” as favorites is still a long way off for both of them. “If I think about it now, I'll just get too caught up in it,” says Kipp. And Egle adds: "You can't prepare 100 percent for this major event anyway. The Olympics only take place every four years. That makes the pressure even greater because you think, ‘I won't have another chance until four years from now.’"

Selina Egle and Lara Kipp had given up on participating in the Olympic Games, a dream they had had since childhood. Shortly before the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Egle broke her leg. It was the end of the road for the big favorites. “Then in 2022, the women's doubles was added to the Olympic program, so the dream is back,” says Kipp with a big smile on her face. “Hopefully, our childhood dream of being able to participate will now come true,” adds Egle. She is still cautious.

However, they think it's a shame that the decision about gold, silver, and bronze in the doubles will only be made in two runs and not in four, as is the case in the singles.

“This means that the competition lacks its own character. I would like to see that change,” demands Egle. Whether two or four rounds – the goal of Selina Egle and Lara Kipp is clear. Both say in unison: “You always want to be at the top. Gold would look better.”