From Sigulda, LAT
(January 4, 2025) – It was going to take something special to beat Roberts Bots and Martins Plume on their home ice in Sigulda. The duo had come into the race having won the last three gold medals on the Latvian track, and were expected to contend again.
But Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt had other plans.
The German duo took the lead from Austria’s Yannick Müller and Armin Frauscher in the first heat from the 11th starting position, one spot ahead of the still-young Latvians. Bots and Plume went next, and found themselves less than a tenth behind the Germans in third place.
In the second heat, Bots and Plume were over three tenths quicker than their first effort, enough to take the lead and then hold it after a few small mistakes dropped Müller and Frauscher behind them.
That put the Latvians between Wendl and Arlt and World Cup win number 54, a victory that would tie Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken for the most wins all time in men’s doubles luge.
The Germans pulled off the top quicker than anyone else in either heat and had about a tenth of a second advantage over Bots and Plume early on. Midway down the track Wendl and Arlt came back to the Latvians, but they were about perfect at the bottom of their run. Their second run was the quickest of the competition, and more than enough to give them their 54th win, tying Eggert and Beneken.
Bots and Plume took silver, .101 back behind the Germans, with Müller and Frauscher in third.
The gold medal for Wendl and Arlt were the first of their season, and second straight medal. For Bots and Plume, the silver was their third medal in four races, while Müller and Frauscher’s bronze was their best result of the season thus far.
Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl had two very similar runs on their way to a fourth place finish. Toni Eggert and Florian Müller finished the race in fifth on the strength of a third quickest run in the second heat.
Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schöpf rounded out the top six.
Americans Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa finished in eighth, one spot ahead of teammates Zack Digregorio and Sean Hollander in ninth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Wendl / Arlt | GER | 11 | 1.537 | 1.524 | 41.652 | 41.393 | 1:23.045 |
| 2 | Bots / Plume | LAT | 12 | 1.545 | 1.573 | 41.728 | 41.418 | 1:23.146 |
| 3 | Müller / Frauscher | AUT | 5 | 1.535 | 1.537 | 41.681 | 41.656 | 1:23.337 |
| 4 | Steu / Kindl | AUT | 10 | 1.561 | 1.543 | 41.837 | 41.650 | 1:23.487 |
| 5 | Eggert / Müller | GER | 15 | 1.600 | 1.548 | 41.858 | 41.648 | 1:23.506 |
| 6 | Gatt / Schöpf | AUT | 4 | 1.548 | 1.549 | 41.861 | 42.069 | 1:23.930 |
| 7 | Chmielewski / Kowalewski | POL | 8 | 1.555 | 1.567 | 42.154 | 41.922 | 1:24.076 |
| 8 | Mueller / Haugsjaa | USA | 6 | 1.575 | 1.596 | 42.112 | 42.110 | 1:24.222 |
| 9 | Digregorio / Hollander | USA | 7 | 1.555 | 1.598 | 42.314 | 42.103 | 1:24.417 |
| 10 | Vavercak / Zmij | SVK | 2 | 1.608 | 1.600 | 42.370 | 42.155 | 1:24.525 |
| 11 | Rieder / Kainzwaldner | ITA | 9 | 1.614 | 1.583 | 42.915 | 41.805 | 1:24.720 |
| 12 | Bosman / Mick | SVK | 17 | 1.679 | 1.663 | 42.679 | 52.381 | 1:25.060 |
| 13 | Sevics-Mikelsevics / Babris | LAT | 1 | 1.565 | 1.631 | 42.999 | 42.414 | 1:25.413 |
| 14 | Orlamünder / Gubitz | GER | 14 | 1.542 | 1.532 | 43.402 | 42.140 | 1:25.542 |
| 15 | Hoi / Kachmar | UKR | 18 | 1.627 | 1.679 | 43.103 | 42.853 | 1:25.956 |
| 16 | Gitlan / Serban | ROU | 20 | 1.680 | 1.590 | 43.264 | 43.838 | 1:27.102 |
| 17 | Nagler / Malleier | ITA | 13 | 1.533 | 1.564 | 41.991 | 46.129 | 1:28.120 |
| 18 | Baltgalvis / Jakseboga | LAT | 16 | 1.657 | 44.148 | |||
| 19 | Handaric / Motzca | ROU | 19 | 1.657 | 87.824 | |||
| DNF | Jubayi / Hou | CHN | 3 | 1.638 | 1.632 | 42.767 | DNF |