Altenberg (pps) It was the third race and they earned their third victory: in the pre-Olympic season the doubles team with Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt seems to be in class of their own. After their victories in Innsbruck-Igls and Koenigssee, the current European silver medalists from Germany thus scored a hattrick with the podium’s top spot at the third stop of the Viessmann Luge World Cup series in Altenberg. It was their 13th individual victory in the World Cup series. In both the first and second run the doubles team set up new track records, clocking first 41.355 and then 41.299 seconds.
Austria’s Peter Penz-Georg Fischler, who won the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships in Altenberg, scored a second-place finish (0.364 seconds behind), ahead of Toni Eggert-Sascha Benecken (0.564 seconds behind). The current World Champions Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger had to make do with a fifth place behind Russia’s Vladislav Yuzhakov-Vladislav Makhnutin.
Wendl-Arlt are still at the top of the overall Viessmann Luge World Cup rankings with a total of 300 points to their credit, ahead of Eggert-Benecken (240) and Penz-Fischler (215).
Quotes
Tobias Wendl (GER / 2012 European silver medalist)
“We wanted to take revenge for our fourth place at the 2012 World Championships – and that’s what we did today!”
Peter Penz (AUT / 2012 European Champion)
“At the start we’re still too far behind Wendl-Arlt. Last season we were a bit faster in the track, but now it’s evenly balanced. Well, our second place is really a good result.”
Toni Eggert (GER / 2012 World silver medalist) “We botched the first run. Then in the second we wanted to attack but again made a mistake. But for all that our third place is still a success.”
