From Bludenz, AUT
(December 20, 2024) – Stefan Röttig took the lead from the sixth start draw in a one-heat race in Bludenz, and held it as another 38 sliders came down as he took the win in the fourth race of the Europe Cup skeleton season.
The United States’ Dan Barefoot kicked the race off with a 32.15 on the 700 meter course. Germany’s Ludwig Mannhardt was next and slid to within .05 of Barefoot. Timm Beiwinkler was third off and got within .2 of the American.
Röttig was off sixth, and slid to a .08 second lead over Barefoot, and despite a few other sliders who got within a quarter second of Röttig, it was the German taking his first victory of the 2024/2025 season, with Barefoot winning his first silver medal outside of North America in second.
Manhardt took bronze, which tied his best finish since the 2022/2023 season.
Italy’s Manuel Schwärzer, China’s Guoqing Yu, and the Netherlands’ Joeri van Kuppeveld rounded out the top six.
The United States’ Nick Tucker finished 14th, one spot ahead of Japan’s Taido Nagao, who had the quickest start of the race. Sam Allred finished 28th and Darryl Payne 35th to round out the American effort.
At the halfway point of the 2024/2025 Europe Cup men’s skeleton season, Wengang Yan holds a small lead over Felix Seibel, with Ludwig Mannhardt and Stefan Röttig third and fourth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Finish |
| 1 | Stefan Röttig | GER | 6 | 4.29 | 32.07 |
| 2 | Daniel Barefoot | USA | 1 | 4.30 | 32.15 |
| 3 | Ludwig Mannhardt | GER | 2 | 4.33 | 32.20 |
| 4 | Manuel Schwärzer | ITA | 17 | 4.35 | 32.22 |
| 5 | Guoqing Yu | CHN | 7 | 4.38 | 32.32 |
| 6 | Joeri Van Kuppeveld | NED | 20 | 4.26 | 32.33 |
| 7 | Florian Auer | AUT | 9 | 4.38 | 32.35 |
| 7 | Timm Beiwlinkler | GER | 3 | 4.32 | 32.35 |
| 9 | Valentino Buff | SUI | 18 | 4.52 | 32.36 |
| 10 | Hayato Kawano | JPN | 27 | 4.28 | 32.37 |
| 11 | Ruojun Zheng | CHN | 5 | 4.36 | 32.42 |
| 12 | Niels Sommer | GER | 16 | 4.41 | 32.44 |
| 13 | Zhongxu Lin | CHN | 4 | 4.31 | 32.52 |
| 14 | Nicholas Tucker | USA | 15 | 4.39 | 32.55 |
| 15 | Taido Nagao | JPN | 21 | 4.26 | 32.64 |
| 16 | Roman Tanzer | AUT | 28 | 4.36 | 32.66 |
| 16 | Lars Rumo | SUI | 19 | 4.47 | 32.66 |
| 18 | Wengang Yan | CHN | 10 | 4.35 | 32.75 |
| 19 | Michal Jakobczyk | POL | 11 | 4.43 | 32.88 |
| 20 | Maxime Mingeon | FRA | 32 | 4.49 | 32.90 |
| 21 | Andrea Monti | ITA | 37 | 4.38 | 32.97 |
| 22 | Lorenzo Conti | ITA | 26 | 4.28 | 32.98 |
| 22 | Sander de Haan | NED | 23 | 4.38 | 32.98 |
| 24 | Vladyslav Polyvach | POL | 12 | 4.39 | 33.01 |
| 25 | Felix Seibel | GER | 8 | 4.75 | 33.06 |
| 26 | Bor van den Berg | NED | 22 | 4.47 | 33.07 |
| 27 | Pietro Drovanti | ITA | 14 | 4.54 | 33.07 |
| 28 | Sam Allred | USA | 29 | 4.45 | 33.28 |
| 29 | Liam Kleber | SUI | 39 | 4.56 | 33.29 |
| 30 | Samuele Battaini | SUI | 31 | 4.48 | 33.31 |
| 31 | Felix de Wit | NED | 36 | 4.57 | 33.42 |
| 32 | Pau Olive Miro | ESP | 41 | 4.71 | 33.53 |
| 33 | Lazar Mikic | SRB | 24 | 4.57 | 33.53 |
| 34 | Marko Vincic | SRB | 43 | 4.57 | 33.56 |
| 35 | Darryl Payne | USA | 13 | 4.31 | 33.66 |
| 36 | Sven Reich | SUI | 44 | 4.60 | 33.82 |
| 37 | Martin Krause | GER | 35 | 4.94 | 34.29 |
| 38 | Bogdan Despotovic | SRB | 38 | 4.83 | 34.32 |
| 39 | Maurin Gian Fischbacher | SUI | 34 | 4.67 | 34.46 |
| 40 | Martin Souto Otero | ESP | 42 | 4.67 | 34.62 |
| 41 | Peter Jedinak | SVK | 25 | 5.27 | 34.91 |
| 42 | Tirso Ocana de la Vega | ESP | 40 | 4.70 | 35.13 |
| 43 | Guido Persoon | NED | 30 | 4.60 | 35.43 |
| DNF | Gidon Bante | NED | 33 | DNF |