Italy Wins Team Relay in Altenberg

From Altenberg, GER

(Dec. 6, 2020) – Heartbreak for the season opener Team Relay event was replaced by joy and gold, as Italy came back from a disastrous start to their season to win gold in Altenberg.

One week removed from a disqualification for missing the paddle, Italy was the second team off the top and stayed in the leaders box for the rest of the race to win their first Team Relay of the season. Andrea Vötter, who missed the paddle in Igls, set a fast time that went unmatched by any other woman, while Kevin Fischnaller and the duo of Ludwig Rieder & Patrick Rastner helped put the team out in front and secure victory.

The gold medal was the seventh in the World Cup Team Relay for Italy.

Russia saw Semen Pavlichenko slide the team into to a tie with Italy with just their doubles sled to go, but the duo of Denisev & Antonov were out-slid by Rieder & Rastner. Russia took silver, just ahead of Latvia, who won bronze.

Germany, winner of 2/3 of all World Cup Team Relay races held, was adversely affected by the same track conditions that helped give Felix Loch a gold earlier in the day. Natalie Geisenberger, Loch, and the team of Toni Eggert & Sascha Benecken all put down clean runs but there was no speed to be found in the track. They finished fourth, just ahead of Austria in fifth. Ukraine ronded out the top six.

Results: