Doubles Wendl/Arlt flop at the World Cup in Altenberg

Six-time Olympic luge champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have made a big mistake in their World Cup rematch. After bronze at the title fights, the Bavarian duo were in the lead after run one at the World Cup in Altenberg, Saxony, on Saturday and had victory in sight. In the final run, however, they hit the boards twice in turn nine and ended up in 16th place, more than a second behind the victorious world champions Juri Gatt and Thomas Schoepf from Austria. "What can we say, it was a killer hit after turn nine, a disaster, we're frustrated," Arlt told TV station ARD, while Wendl said: "You just want to get off."

In difficult conditions in the Eastern Ore Mountains with lots of frost on the ice, the Thuringian duo Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz from RC Zella-Mehlis finished eighth. Moritz Jäger and Valentin Steudte (RRC Zella-Mehlis/RT Suhl) finished in ninth place.