Vötter & Oberhofer Cruise to Sigulda Victory

From Sigulda, LAT

(January 14, 2023) – A week after a first run mishap likely cost Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer a medal, the Italians rallied to win gold in Sigulda.

Vötter and Oberhofer set the quick time in the first heat by a tenth over track record holders and the previous weekend’s winners Anda Upite and Sanija Ozolina of Latvia, with USA’s Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby in third.

On the second run, Germany’s Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal put down a big run to move up from fifth into the top three, eventually picking off both teams of Forgan and Kirkby and Austrians Selina Egle and Lara Kipp.

It was then Upite and Ozolina who moved into the leader’s box, just ahead of the Germans with a slightly skiddy run.

That left the door wide open for Vötter and Oberhofer. The Italians were quick in the first heat, but even quicker in the second as they slid to a half second victory over the Latvians, with the German duo in third.

Egle and Kipp finished fourth, one week after a disastrous race where they were just happy to finish. the American duo of Forgan and Kirkby finished fifth, while Romania’s Raluca Stramaturaru and Mihaela-Carmen Manolescu finished sixth.

With five races to go in the World Cup schedule, Vötter and Oberhofer hold a 55 point lead over Egle and Kipp. Degenhardt and Rosenthal are third overall, with Forgan and Kirkby fourth.

Results: