Germany has a new toboggan dream couple: Julia Taubitz and Max Langenhan have crowned their great season. An old master also comes into his own in Latvia.
Julia Taubitz kissed the crystal ball deeply, Max Langenhan received the World Cup dominator’s trophy with a pained face. “It’s great that I won the overall World Cup, but the joy is still a little muted because of the pain,” commented the three-time world champion in Sigulda. Julia Taubitz, now a five-time world champion, said: “That was my best season.”
On the penultimate toboggan weekend, the Saxon and the Thuringian secured the prestigious ranking. Julia Taubitz was on the podium in each of the eleven World Cup races, and she made it to the top in the sprint race for the sixth time on Sunday. Max Langenhan was unable to achieve this feat – with a total of six successes, he finished fourth in the sprint, handicapped, and for the first time did not make it into the top three. But, just like Julia Taubitz, he also secured the World Cup sprint ranking.
Langenhan can start despite a back injury
The 27-year-old and the 25-year-old had already won the overall ranking with third places each in the traditional single-seater. The victories in the Sigulda ice chute were won by two other Germans: former world champion Anna Berreiter achieved her first win of the season on Saturday, and three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch celebrated two successes on Sunday. After his single-seater success, his first victory since December 2022, the 34-year-old also prevailed in the sprint. “To finally be at the top again is nice and makes me happy,” he said. Loch has now won 52 World Cup races. His teammate Langenhan injured his back in the first of the two single-seater races – his start was hanging by a thread. “I can hardly move,” he complained. Because his closest competitor Jonas Müller from Austria fell, Langenhan got on his sled and successfully completed his tobogganing mission.
Strong record for German lugers
Julia Taubitz didn’t initially realize that she had won the overall World Cup. “I never count,” she said. She continued an impressive series of successes in the women’s single-seater. Since 1999, only German lugers have won the overall World Cup.
In the women’s doubles, the Italians Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer (865) are leading after their sprint victory on Saturday, ahead of Dajana Eitberger/Saskia Schirmer (801) and Jessica Degenhart/Cheyenne Rosenthal (795). After their Sigulda success on Saturday, the duo failed to finish on Sunday after a fall. In the men’s doubles, the six-time Olympic champions Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt are already 96 points behind the Austrians Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl after two second places before the last race of the season next weekend in Sigulda and have practically no chance of winning their sixth overall World Cup.
Source: Stern
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