From Pyeongchang, KOR
(February 15, 2025) – Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal have won many, many World Cup gold medals over the last few years. But during the 2024/2025 season they’ve been locked out of the top of the podium, mostly at the hands of Selina Egle and Lara Kipp.
But on Saturday in Pyeongchang, the German duo finally got their first gold medal of the season in a come from behind victory over the Austrian champions.
Egle and Kipp looked to be on their way to their seventh World Cup gold medal. After one heat they held a .044 lead over Degenhardt and Rosenthal, with Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina in third, a quarter of a second back.
Eitberger, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist in women’s singles, paired with Matschina and slid to the lead ahead of Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby.
Up next were their teammates, Degenhardt and Rosenthal, who came into the event as six-time silver medalists on the season. The duo picked up their start by .002, and put down what was the quickest slide of the race to take the lead with only the Austrians still to go.
Egle and Kipp were outstarted by Degenhardt and Rosenthal. The Austrians rallied back and briefly were ahead of the Germans midway down their run, but were outslid at the bottom few corners by Degenhardt and Rosenthal as they finished .023 back in second, with the Germans taking the victory.
It was Degenhardt and Rosenthal’s first victory, with Egle and Kipp’s silver their first time off of the top of the podium since the season opener in Lillehammer.
Eitberger and Matschina were third for the second straight World Cup race.
Forgan and Kirkby had the quick start in both heats on their way to a fourth place finish, ahead of Latvia’s Anda Upite and Zane Kaluma in fifth. Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer were sixth.
With one race remaining in the World Cup season, Egle and Kipp are ahead of Degenhardt and Rosenthal, with Forgan and Kirkby solidly in third. Vötter and Oberhofer are fourth, with Upite and Kaluma fifth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Degenhardt / Rosenthal | GER | 4 | 4.367 | 4.365 | 46.834 | 46.784 | 1:33.618 |
| 2 | Egle / Kipp | AUT | 8 | 4.427 | 4.417 | 46.790 | 46.851 | 1:33.641 |
| 3 | Eitberger / Matschina | GER | 9 | 4.394 | 4.392 | 47.015 | 46.998 | 1:34.013 |
| 4 | Forgan / Kirkby | USA | 6 | 4.327 | 4.331 | 47.110 | 47.128 | 1:34.238 |
| 5 | Upite / Kaluma | LAT | 5 | 4.416 | 4.415 | 47.301 | 47.369 | 1:34.670 |
| 6 | Vötter / Oberhofer | ITA | 7 | 4.390 | 4.380 | 47.972 | 47.112 | 1:35.084 |
| 7 | Stramaturaru / Manolescu | ROU | 3 | 4.443 | 4.464 | 48.100 | 48.026 | 1:36.126 |
| 8 | Stetskiv / Mokh | UKR | 1 | 4.429 | 4.444 | 49.034 | 48.217 | 1:37.251 |
| 9 | Robezniece / Bogdanova | LAT | 2 | 4.373 | 4.378 | 47.456 | 63.816 | 1:51.272 |