From Igls, AUT
(February 2, 2024) – It was about as dominant performance that you could ask for in Igls, a track known for tight racing. Germany’s Diana Filipszki and Cynthia Kwofie had the fast two pushes in each heat and Filipszki backed them up with the quick drive in both heats on the way to a victory in Austria.
Filipszki was the quickest at every interval in both heats. After one run she led teammate Charlotte Candrix by .11, and nearly doubled that margin of victory in the second heat to win by .21.
The win was Filipszki’s first in Europe Cup two-woman action.
Candrix and brakewoman Lena Brunnhübner had the next two fastest start times of the race on their way to a silver medal.
Swiss pilot Debora Annen scored her second bronze medal in as many days. A day after finishing third in the women’s monobob finale she finished third yet again, this time alongside Julie Leuenberger, .68 out of first.
The Swiss sled was the only non-German in the top four. Leona Klein and Sarah Neitz couldn’t quite keep up with either their teammates nor Annen as they missed the podium by .04 on their way to a fourth place effort.
The United States’ Riely Tejcek and Jestena Mattson finished fifth, overcoming a tough first start to slide into the top five, just .12 out of the medals and a career-best on the Europe Cup tour.
Rounding out the top six was Canada’s Melissa Lotholz and Leanna Garcia in Lotholz’s first race in Europe since January of 2022.
Great Britain’s Nikky McSweeney and Maddison Illsley finished ninth with two consistent runs.
The previous day’s monobob gold and silver medalists both couldn’t quite find the pace they had in the single-seater. USA’s Sylvia Hoffman finished 13th alongside Mia Lobel, while Canada’s Kristen Bujnowski with Alex Klein finished one spot back in 14th.
With one race to go in the 2023/2024 Europe Cup two-woman season, Diana Filipszki leads Belgium’s Kelly van Petegem, with Debora Annen in third.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Finish |
| 1 | Filipszki / Kwofie | GER | 11 | 5.63 | 5.65 | 53.32 | 53.44 | 1:46.76 |
| 2 | Candrix / Brunnhübner | GER | 12 | 5.67 | 5.69 | 53.43 | 53.54 | 1:46.97 |
| 3 | Annen / Leuenberger | SUI | 10 | 5.82 | 5.82 | 53.64 | 53.80 | 1:47.44 |
| 4 | Klein / Neitz | GER | 18 | 5.76 | 5.76 | 53.66 | 53.82 | 1:47.48 |
| 5 | Tejcek / Mattson | USA | 8 | 5.90 | 5.85 | 53.68 | 53.88 | 1:47.56 |
| 6 | Lotholz / Garcia | CAN | 9 | 5.89 | 5.90 | 53.81 | 53.96 | 1:47.77 |
| 7 | van Petegem / Horemans | BEL | 7 | 5.87 | 5.87 | 53.97 | 54.04 | 1:48.01 |
| 8 | Haslwanter / Kanneberg | AUT | 1 | 5.86 | 5.86 | 53.87 | 54.27 | 1:48.14 |
| 9 | McSweeney / Illsley | GBR | 6 | 5.89 | 5.87 | 54.10 | 54.14 | 1:48.24 |
| 10 | Andreutti / Vicenzino | ITA | 5 | 5.96 | 5.97 | 54.11 | 54.38 | 1:48.49 |
| 11 | Djolo / Doumpas | NED | 15 | 5.87 | 5.87 | 54.42 | 54.34 | 1:48.76 |
| 12 | Blizzard / Johnson | AUS | 2 | 5.84 | 5.87 | 54.30 | 54.51 | 1:48.81 |
| 13 | Hoffman / Lobel | USA | 4 | 5.99 | 5.96 | 54.45 | 54.66 | 1:49.11 |
| 14 | Bujnowski / Klein | CAN | 13 | 5.84 | 5.92 | 54.30 | 54.98 | 1:49.28 |
| 15 | Cavalleri / Costella | ITA | 16 | 5.96 | 5.94 | 54.65 | 54.77 | 1:49.42 |
| 16 | Tajcnarova / Skalova | CZE | 3 | 5.89 | 5.91 | 54.66 | 54.87 | 1:49.53 |
| 17 | Adeagbo / King | NGR | 17 | 6.65 | 6.64 | 56.16 | 56.35 | 1:52.51 |
| DNS | Post / Wau | NED | 14 | DNS |
