From Oberhof, GER
(January 25, 2025) – Tobias Wendl and Tobais Arlt slid to their second straight victory on the season in a race where they broke both the start record and track record on their way to victory.
The duo took the lead ahead of teammates Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz in the first heat with a start record 7.235 and track record 41.276. Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl were third after the first heat as the only other team within two tenths of the leaders.
Toni Eggert and Florian Müller slid to the lead in the second heat from seventh place, then picked off both teams of Yannic Müller and Armin Frauscher as well as Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schöpf to move into the top five.
Eggert and Müller were eventually bested by Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume, but that lead only held for a moment, as Steu and Kindl took over in the leaders box to guarantee Austria a medal.
Orlamünder and Gubitz guaranteed Germany a victory with their second slide, the quickest of the second heat. That slide was enough to perhaps put just a bit of pressure on Wendl and Arlt, but not enough. Wendl and Arlt’s second run was the second of the heat and enough to stay ahead of Orlamünder and Gubitz by .068, with Steu and Kindl .238 back in third.
Wendl and Arlt’s gold was their second straight and fifth straight medal after a slow start to their season. Orlamünder and Gubitz’s silver was their second medal of the season, with both gold and silver coming in Oberhof.
Stu and Kindl’s bronze was the fourth of their season. They’ve finished either third or fourth in every race this season.
Bots and Plume were the lone non-German or Austrian team in the top seven with a fourth place finish, ahead of Eggert and Mueller in fifth.
Gatt and Schöpf rounded out the top six.
Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa were the top American duo in eighth, three spots ahead of teammates Zack Digregario and Sean Hollander in 11th.
Canada’s Devin Wardrope and Cole Zajanski were 12th.
Wendl and Arlt lead the FIL World Cup two-man standings with two races to go, 49 points ahead of Bots and Plume. Steu and Kindl are third, nine points ahead of Eggert and Müller in fourth, with Müller and Frauscher fifth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Wendl / Arlt | GER | 15 | 7.262 | 41.276 | 31.532 | 1:22.808 | |
| 2 | Orlamünder / Gubitz | GER | 9 | 7.360 | 41.388 | 41.488 | 1:22.876 | |
| 3 | Steu / Kindl | AUT | 13 | 7.352 | 41.444 | 41.602 | 1:23.046 | |
| 4 | Bots / Plume | LAT | 11 | 7.346 | 41.505 | 41.644 | 1:23.149 | |
| 7 | Eggert / Müller | GER | 14 | 7.359 | 41.587 | 41.587 | 1:23.174 | |
| 5 | Gatt / Schöpf | AUT | 16 | 7.429 | 41.541 | 41.726 | 1:23.267 | |
| 6 | Müller / Frauscher | AUT | 12 | 7.374 | 41.574 | 41.705 | 1:23.279 | |
| 9 | Mueller / Haugsjaa | USA | 4 | 7.401 | 41.757 | 41.800 | 1:23.557 | |
| 13 | Nagler / Malleier | ITA | 8 | 7.319 | 42.083 | 41.586 | 1:23.669 | |
| 10 | Chmielewski / Kowalewski | POL | 5 | 7.403 | 41.828 | 41.862 | 1:23.690 | |
| 8 | Digregorio / Hollander | USA | 6 | 7.390 | 41.746 | 41.945 | 1:23.691 | |
| 11 | Wardrope / Zajanski | CAN | 3 | 7.390 | 41.886 | 41.880 | 1:23.766 | |
| 12 | Rieder / Kainzwaldner | ITA | 7 | 7.422 | 41.928 | 42.104 | 1:24.032 | |
| 14 | Vavercak / Zmij | SVK | 2 | 7.388 | 42.137 | 41.985 | 1:24.122 | |
| 16 | Baltgalvis / Jakseboga | LAT | 17 | 7.549 | 42.425 | 42.385 | 1:24.810 | |
| 15 | Jubayi / Hou | CHN | 10 | 7.655 | 42.285 | 42.568 | 1:24.853 | |
| 17 | Hoi / Kachmar | UKR | 19 | 7.663 | 42.757 | 42.635 | 1:25.392 | |
| 18 | Panchuk / Muts | UKR | 18 | 7.541 | 42.878 | 60.998 | 1:43.876 | |
| 19 | Handaric / Motzca | ROU | 1 | 48.884 |