From Whistler, CAN
(December 10, 2022) – Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken edged out their long-time teammates and rivals Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt to win gold at the second stop of the FIL World Cup in Whistler.
Germany held the top three spots after the first run, with Eggert and Benecken only .002 ahead of Wendl and Arlt. Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz were third, just .057 out of the lead. On the second run Orlamünder and Gubitz had a bumpy trip down the 2010 Olympic track and fell behind Austrians Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schöpf, putting the Austrians in to the lead with the two remaining German teams to go.
Wendl and Arlt were next and put down what looked to be a very clean run to move into the lead by just over a tenth of a second.
The pressure was on Eggert and Benecken, and the winningest doubles team in FIL history answered. Eggert and Benecken not only had the quickest run of the race in their second run, they set the fastest time ever for a doubles luge team with a 38.249 to win their 52nd gold medal.
Wendl and Arlt finished with a silver, with Gatt and Schöpf bronze.
Canada’s Devin Wardrope and Cole Zajanski finished in fourth, tied for a best ever Canadian doubles finish in Whistler, while Orlamünder and Gubitz finished fifth.
Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume moved up from eighth in the first heat to finish sixth.
Zach Digregorio and Sean Hollander moved up form 12th in their first run to finish eighth as the top American sled. Teammates Dana Kellogg and Duncan Segger fell from 10th to 12th. Kellogg and Segger has the second quickest speed of the race.
The racing was close throughout the field, as less than a tenth separated first to sixth, and just .129 from seventh to 13th through the first heat.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Eggert / Benecken | GER | 16 | 3.303 | 3.298 | 38.305 | 38.249 | 1:16.554 |
| 2 | Wendl / Arlt | GER | 15 | 3.261 | 3.266 | 38.307 | 38.298 | 1:16.605 |
| 3 | Gatt / Schöpf | AUT | 9 | 3.302 | 3.282 | 38.384 | 38.356 | 1:16.740 |
| 4 | Wardrope / Zajanski | CAN | 4 | 3.316 | 3.314 | 38.389 | 38.374 | 1:16.763 |
| 5 | Orlamünder / Gubitz | GER | 8 | 3.302 | 3.301 | 38.364 | 38.402 | 1:16.766 |
| 6 | Bots / Plume | LAT | 12 | 3.271 | 3.277 | 38.495 | 38.339 | 1:16.834 |
| 7 | Steu / Koller | AUT | 13 | 3.319 | 3.317 | 38.396 | 38.507 | 1:16.903 |
| 8 | Digregorio / Hollander | USA | 2 | 3.284 | 3.278 | 38.577 | 38.444 | 1:17.021 |
| 9 | Sevics-Mikelsevics / Krasts | LAT | 3 | 3.258 | 3.261 | 38.604 | 38.464 | 1:17.068 |
| 10 | Nagler / Malleier | ITA | 10 | 3.275 | 3.268 | 38.585 | 38.510 | 1:17.095 |
| 11 | Müller / Fraushcer | AUT | 14 | 3.305 | 3.312 | 38.526 | 38.610 | 1:17.136 |
| 12 | Kellogg / Segger | USA | 1 | 3.326 | 3.325 | 38.569 | 38.590 | 1:17.159 |
| 13 | Chmielewski / Kowalewski | POL | 6 | 3.283 | 3.294 | 38.624 | 38.555 | 1:17.179 |
| 14 | Rieder / Rastner | ITA | 5 | 3.242 | 3.263 | 38.576 | 38.655 | 1:17.231 |
| 15 | Vavercak / Zmij | SVK | 7 | 3.287 | 3.313 | 39.330 | 39.228 | 1:18.558 |
| DNF | Rieder / Kainzwaldner | ITA | 11 | 3.265 | 3.269 | 38.456 | DNF | DNF |
