honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 5:46 a.m., Saturday, January 24, 2009

Luge: Italian pair win fourth luge WCup event

Associated Press

ALTENBERG, Germany — Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber of Italy won their fourth luge doubles World Cup event this season.

Natalie Geisenberger led a German sweep of the top four places in the women's singles.

The Italians won in a combined time of 1 minute, 24.996 seconds for their 13th career win, beating former Olympic champions Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany by .074 seconds.

Reigning Olympic champions Andreas and Wolfgang Linger of Austria were third.

With four wins in seven races, Oberstolz and Gruber lead the overall doubles standings with 580 points. Leitner and Resch have 484, followed by the Linger brothers (470). There are two races left in the season.

The German women have not lost a World Cup race in more than 11 years and Geisenberger dominated the event by finishing the two runs in 1:46.283. Tatjana Huefner was .138 seconds behind and Anke Wischnewski .580 back.