Steu and Koller uphold red-white-red tradition in the doubles

Innsbruck-Igls (RWH): Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller effortlessly maintain the long-standing tradition of Austria's success in the men's doubles. The duo, who placed fourth in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang (KOR), secured a surprising win during the season opener of the Viessmann World Cup inInnsbruck-Igls (AUT). Defending champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (GER) came in second to the red-white-red duo, who had acquired the sled of Olympic silver medallists Peter Penz and Georg Fischler following their retirement from the sport. Having taken home the bronze medal in the Olympics with his partner earlier this year, Toni Eggert suffered a fall in Oberhof five weeks ago, resulting in a fracture of the fibula. He subsequently underwent an operation to treat his injuries. His participation in the cup was confirmed at the very last minute after achieving passing a medical stress test. Third place was taken by the Russian duo Vladislav Yuzhakov and Jurii Prokhorov.

Prior to the race, Peter Penz and Georg Fischler bid a fond farewell to the sport. The 2012 European champions, decked out in lederhosen and traditional shirts, took off one final time in Igls. Both are now part of the team of trainers at the Austrian Luge Federation. Penz and Fischer's predecessors, Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, took gold in both the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, kicking off a string of successes for Austria in the men's doubles.

Quotes

Thomas Steu (AUT / fourth place at the Olympics)

"I'm totally overwhelmed. It'll take a while for it to really sink. We weren't nervous at all before the second round, there were only a few people up at the start. We'd been fast during all the training sessions and knew if we just did it as we always do, we'd be at the front of the pack. The fact that we've improved so much is down to two factors: We acquired parts from Penz and Fischler's sled, and worked really hard over the summer."

Toni Eggert (GER / Olympic bronze, three-times World Cup overall winner and 2017 World Champion)

"Just getting to the starting line is a big deal. Thank you so much to everyone who made it happen. You work on your performance all summer; on your fitness, your body, the material. You don't go through all that just to then sit and watch the races on television."

Vladislav Yuzhakov (RUS)

"I have a new partner. My former partner and I came in third here and I've done it again with my new partner. That's a great result."