Vötter/Oberhofer and Eggert/Benecken win World Cup in Altenberg

Altenberg (FIL/04.02.2023) The EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in its anniversary season on the SachsenEnergie Eiskanal opened with the doubles’ decisions. The newly crowned World Champions Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken and the World Championship bronze medalists Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer were celebrated as World Cup winners. This year's World Cup is also a dress rehearsal for the 2024 FIL Luge World Championships, which will be held in Altenberg for the third time.

The team of icemaking master Ralf "Hans" Mende could also celebrate. For the 40th time this season, they have iced the track in Altenberg's Kohlgrund. After yesterday's continuous rain, to which the men's seeded training also fell victim, Altenberg presented itself dry this morning and with temperatures of minus four degrees with the best ice conditions.

In the men's doubles race, five-time doubles World Champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken broke the winning streak of Austrian doubles Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller. Steu from Vorarlberg and his Tyrolean partner Koller had last won the World Cups in Altenberg four times in a row. Today they ended up in a disappointing 16th place for them after a near fall after the start in the second run.

Eggert/Benecken, on the other hand, set the fastest time twice and won with 1:24.158 ahead of their teammates Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (+0.066 sec.) and Latvia's Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (+0.218 sec.). While it was the fifth World Cup podium in a row for the runners-up Wendl/Arlt, the World Cup fifth-placed Bots/Plume achieved this for the third time. The youngest German double with Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz (GER, +0,572 sec.) still finished fourth with a dream run in the second run, ahead of World Cup bronze medallists Yannick Müller and Armin Frauscher (AUT, +0,627 sec.) and Italy's Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwalder (+0,638 sec.).

Eggert/Benecken took the lead in the overall World Cup with their overall 54th World Cup victory today and are with 615 points only one point ahead of Wendl/Arlt (614) and Bots/Plume (525).

Vötter/Oberhofer win World Cup premiere in Altenberg

For the Women's Doubles it was the first appearance in a World Cup on the SachsenEnergie Eiskanal in Altenberg. With a start and track record of 42.736 seconds the World Championship third Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer (ITA) won with a total time of 1:25.650 and pushed the World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal still on second place (GER, +0.051 sec.). Jessica Degenhardt from Dresden grew up on the track in Altenberg and together with her partner Cheyenne Rosenthal from Winterberg she also managed best on the technically demanding track in the first run. However, minor mistakes in the second run cost her the first World Cup victory of this season.

The Vice World Champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT, +0.277 sec) finished third. Latvia's Anda Upite and Sanija Ozolina (+0.566 sec.) finished fourth, closely followed by Italy's young Nadia Falkensteiner and Annalena Huber (+0.585 sec.), who put two spirited runs on the ice, just like in their Nations Cup victory. Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (USA, +1,845 sec.) finished sixth.

With their fourth World Cup victory, Vötter/Oberhofer (ITA) extended their lead in the overall World Cup with 700 points, followed by Egle/Kipp (615) and Degenhardt/Rosenthal (571).

Quotes:

Andrea Vötter (ITA): "It was already our goal today to extend our lead in the overall World Cup and we are very happy about the victory. Altenberg is normally not one of our favorite tracks, but to win here with track record is something very special."

Marion Oberhofer (ITA): "We made a lot of plans for the start right away and wanted the fastest start time. On the track we have very few runs. But with a start and track record we are very happy now."

Jessica Degenhardt (GER): "The first run was super nice and solid downhill. In the second one we threw it away right at the start. I was somehow so into the start that I wanted to do a fourth paddler and laid down too late. Then the time was gone. We won the second place today and will attack again next week."

Toni Eggert (GER): "It was an exciting fight today, especially because the Tobis were ahead again in the second run at the start. We didn't have such a good start. Then I knew it would be tight and tried to stretch even more than in the first run. Up to turn 17 it went well, we'll do the same again tomorrow in the team relay."

Tobias Wendl (GER): "We had a good race and delivered two clean runs unlike in the World Championships last week. We are satisfied with our performance and had hoped that we could get even closer to Toni and Sascha. It was a good race and we are taking back the World Cup lead."

Tobias Arlt (GER): "It was definitely a good World Championship’s test for next year. But we mustn't underestimate the Austrians, they lost quite a bit of ground today. Next year - new race, new luck. There we'll look to be even faster from the set-up and bring down two stable runs like today."

Roberts Plume (LAT): "We are slowly getting used to third place in Altenberg. The ice is always very good, and it's fun to race here. But it's also very difficult because you really have to slide correct lines. We managed that well today and we are very happy."

The results of the 6th EBERSPÄCHER World Cup of the 2022/23 season are available at the following link: https://www.fil-luge.org/de/ergebnisse/eberspaecher-weltcup-24