Degenhardt & Rosenthal Win in Winterberg

From Winterberg, GER

(January 6, 2024) – Jessica Degenhardt and Cheynne Rosenthal edged out Italians Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer to start the 2024 calendar year.

The German duo  led after the first heat with a track record 43.510, with Vötter and Oberhofer also under the track record in second, just .042 back. In fact, the top seven were all under the old track record of 43.916 held by Selina Egle and Lara Kipp.

In the second heat, Austria’s Egle and Kipp slid to the lead with what was, to that point, the fastest run of the heat and held that top spot as they leapfrogged Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer despite the Germans putting down an otherwise clean run.

Vötter and Oberhofer were the penultimate team to go in the second heat and early on seemed to have a commanding lead. A little skiddy late, the Italians held onto the lead by just .02 ahead of the Austrians.

That left Degenhardt and Rosenthal, the reigning world champions. Like the Italians before them, the German team had what felt like a big lead, but through the final curve of the labyrinth a late skid closed the gap. As they crossed the finish line, Degenhardt and Rosenthal were the leaders, and winners, but by only .024 ahead of Vötter and Oberhofer.

Egle and Kipp finished third, .044 out of gold and .061 ahead of Eitberger and Schirmer in fourth.

The United States finished fifth and sixth. Chevonne Forgan and Sophie Kirkby finished fifth, with teammates Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler in sixth. Both teams had matching 43.761 downtimes in the second heat.

Latvian Anda Upite, sliding for the first time this season with Zane Kaluma, finished seventh.

The field of 15 sleds was the largest in a women’s doubles FIL World Cup race as the discipline continues to grow.

In the overall World Cup standings, Egle and Kipp lead by 15 points over Degenhardt and Rosenthal, with Eitberger and Schirmer in third just 25 points out of the lead. Vötter and Oberhofer, Forgan and Kirkby, and Chan and Weiler round out the top six in points after three races plus a sprint.

Results: