Germany’s Julia Taubitz won her second World Cup race of the season at the famed Konigssee track in Germany, but just as remarkable was that teammate Natalie Geisenberger did not win a medal.
The Olympic champion in both Sochi and PyeongChang, Geisenberger had won a medal in 25 World Cup races in a row, dating back to the middle of the 2016-17 season, in Park City, Utah (USA).
Taubitz was only sixth after the first run, but whistled down the track and had the fastest second run of the entire field and won by 0.42 seconds over American Summer Britcher, who won her second straight silver medal on tour, after a runner-up finish in the Park City Sprint.
And Taubitz is now the one working on a streak, having won a medal in all seven races this season.
Geisenberger finished eighth, after a terrible first run left her in 16th place and then she had only the ninth-fastest run in the second race to end up 0.457 from a medal.
There were other surprises, such as Austria’s Reinhard Egger taking the men’s race for his first World Cup victory. He led after the first run, but then a snowstorm canceled the second run after 18 of the 32 competitors had completed their racing. But Egger was delighted with the win.
“I’m just really enjoying myself at the moment,” he said. “If it was up to me, I’d like things to keep going as they are. This is an outdoor sport so we have to expect conditions like this sometimes.”
The U.S. also won a bronze in the team relay, with Britcher, Tucker West and the doubles team of Chris Mazdzer and Jayson Terdiman. Summaries:
FIL World Cup
Konigssee (GER) ~ 5-6 January 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s Singles: 1. Reinhard Egger (AUT), 50.084; 2. Dominik Fischnaller (ITA), 50.104; 3. Sebastian Bley (GER), 50.192; 4. Jonas Mueller (AUT), 50.232; 5. Roman Repilov (RUS), 50.277. Also: 8. Tucker West (USA), 50.327; 9. Chris Mazdzer (USA), 50.338; … 13. Jonathan Gustafson (USA), 50.411.
Men’s Doubles: 1. Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (GER), 1:41.851; 2. Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER), 1:42.157; 3. Thomas Steu/Lorenz Koller (AUT), 1:42.683; 4. Andris Sics/Juris Sics (LAT), 1:42.801; 5. Robin Johannes Geuke/David Gamm (GER), 1:42.811. Also: 9. Chris Mazdzer/Jayson Terdiman (USA), 1:43.324.
Women’s Singles: 1. Julia Taubitz (GER), 1:44.971; 2. Summer Britcher (USA), 1:45.391; 3. Hannah Prock (AUT), 1:45.586; 4. Tatyana Ivanova (RUS), 1:45.785; 5. Eliza Cauce (LAT), 1:45.889. Also: 19. Brittney Arndt (USA), 1:46.804; … 21. Emily Sweeney (USA), 1:47.046.
Team Relay: 1. Germany (Taubitz, Bley, Eggert/Benecken), 2:47.982; 2. Austria, 2:48.182; 3. United States (Britcher, West, Madzder/Terdiman), 2:48.487; 4. Latvia, 2:48.662; 5. Russia, 2:49.030.
