From Whistler, CAN
(December 15, 2023) – The German duo of Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal won their first gold of the season in Whistler in a tight race that came down to the hundredth of a second.
The reigning world champions took the lead in the first heat, but had only .056 separating them from the American team of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby in fourth. In between were Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer, and the Italian team of Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer.
In the second heat the Americans held their ground to take the lead, but were quickly upended by Eitberger and Schirmer.
Vötter and Oberhoer were next, and while their second run was otherwise clean enough, the Germans were just a hint quicker. The difference at the finish line was a mere .015.
While the door wasn’t left entirely open for Degenhardt and Rosenthal, the Germans used a race-quickest start to their advantage. Their second slide was nearly a mirror image of their first, and that was enough to take victory from their teammates by .08.
It was the first win of the season for Degenhardt and Rosenthal, with Eitberger and Schirmer continuing their great start as a new doubles team with a silver medal.
Vötter and Oberhofer finished the race with a bronze, their second of the season.
Forgan and Kirkby missed out on a medal by just .048 in fourth, while last week’s winners Selina Egle and Lara Kipp finished the race in fifth, a quarter of a second out of the lead.
Americans Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler finished in sixth with two clean slides. Canadians Embyr-Lee Susko and Beattie Podulsky made their World Cup debut on home soil and finished one spot behind Chan and Weiler in seventh.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Degenhardt / Rosenthal | GER | 11 | 3.376 | 3.372 | 39.189 | 39.182 | 1:18.371 |
| 2 | Vötter / Oberhofer | ITA | 9 | 3.381 | 3.390 | 39.219 | 39.247 | 1:18.366 |
| 3 | Eitberger / Schirmer | GER | 6 | 3.376 | 3.389 | 39.220 | 39.231 | 1:18.451 |
| 4 | Forgan / Kirkby | USA | 10 | 3.394 | 3.390 | 39.238 | 39.276 | 1:18.514 |
| 5 | Egle / Kipp | AUT | 12 | 3.439 | 3.447 | 39.303 | 39.317 | 1:18.620 |
| 6 | Chan / Weiler | USA | 7 | 3.419 | 3.418 | 39.381 | 39.387 | 1:18.768 |
| 7 | Susko / Podulsky | CAN | 2 | 3.495 | 3.469 | 39.433 | 39.487 | 1:18.920 |
| 8 | Ziedina / Svilna | LAT | 13 | 3.446 | 3.442 | 39.676 | 39.747 | 1:19.423 |
| 9 | Cezikova / Jansova | CZE | 3 | 3.426 | 3.440 | 39.878 | 39.929 | 1:19.807 |
| 10 | Stetskiv / Mokh | UKR | 8 | 3.432 | 3.431 | 40.004 | 40.156 | 1:20.160 |
| 11 | Khytrenko / Koval | UKR | 1 | 3.430 | 3.451 | 40.080 | 40.249 | 1:20.329 |
| 12 | Stramaturaru / Manolescu | ROU | 5 | 3.450 | 3.462 | 40.111 | 40.195 | 1:20.306 |
| 13 | Domowicz / Piwkowska | POL | 4 | 3.472 | 3.495 | 40.137 | 40.102 | 1:20.239 |