From Whistler, CAN
(February 6, 2025) – Germany won its first gold medal of the 53rd FIL World Championships as they edged out a speedy American team for the top spot on the World Championships podium.
Americans Jonny Gustafson and Emily Sweeney took the lead from the Australia/Switzerland duo of Alex Ferlazzo and Natalie Maag after Sweeney backed up Gustafson’s consistent run with one of the quickest of the race for the women.
Gustafson and Sweeney watched as team after team failed to match their combined time. Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods and Elina Bota slid into second place from the 17th starting position, but were bumped one set of runs later by Austria’s David Gleirscher and Madeleine Egle.
After Germany’s David Nößler, sliding with a broken foot, missed the paddle and was disqualified, the second Austrian team of Nico Gleirscher and Lisa Schulte took their shot at the Americans. Gleirscher got out ahead of Gustafson, but Schulte was ultimately outslid by Sweeney as the duo slid into fourth with one team to go.
That team was the top German duo of Max Langenhan and Julia Taubitz. Langenhan, the winningest men’s slider on tour over the last two seasons, took a lead of over three tenths ahead of the Americans. Taubitz lost a tenth early with a slower reaction time, and slowly bled time all the way down the 2010 Olympic track. But for the Americans, Taubitz ran out of track as the Germans slid to victory by .095, with the United States second and Austria’s David Gleirscher and Madeleine Egle third.
Expectedly, Langenhan was elated with his victory.
“I think it was a 110% run from the first paddle to the end,” he told FIL’s Kate Hansen after the race. “I could have been a little later to the touchpad, but I’m super happy!”
For the Americans, their silver didn’t come as a surprise, exactly, but it was still a welcome finish.
“I knew we were going to do well,” Gustafson said. “I knew we had Emily on the team so we were going to do well. We both laid down awesome runs and whatever the results were is what they were. I’m happy to come away with silver!”
The bronze medal was a nice start of the World Championships for Egle and Gleirscher.
“My run was pretty okay,” Egle said. “I’m happy with it. But I’m really happy we got bronze, we can be really happy about this medal!”
Latvia’s Aparjods and Bota were fourth, ahead of Nico Gleirscher and Schulte in fifth. The team of Ferlazzo and Maag.
The second American team of Tucker West and Ashley Farquharson were tenth. The Canadian duo of Dylan Morse and Trinity Ellis were one spot back in 11th, while Theo Downey and Embyr-Lee Susko were 12th.
After two races, Germany leads the World Champs medal table with three medals (1G, 1S, 1B), Austria has two (1G, 1B) and the United States one (1S).
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Men | Women/Total |
| 1 | Max Langenhan / Julia Taubitz | GER-1 | 21 | 39.639 | 1:22.354 |
| 2 | Jonathan Gustafson / Emily Sweeney | USA-1 | 14 | 39.963 | 1:22.449 |
| 3 | David Gleirscher / Madeleine Egle | AUT-2 | 18 | 39.991 | 1:22.678 |
| 4 | Kristers Aparjods / Elina Bota | LAT-1 | 17 | 39.948 | 1:22.706 |
| 5 | Nico Gleirscher / Lisa Schulte | AUT-1 | 20 | 39.909 | 1:22.773 |
| 6 | Alexander Ferlazzo / Natalie Maag | AUS/SUI | 13 | 40.014 | 1:22.793 |
| 7 | Dominik Fischnaller / Verena Hofer | ITA-1 | 16 | 39.894 | 1:22.821 |
| 8 | Gints Berzins / Kendija Aparjode | LAT-2 | 15 | 40.014 | 1:22.859 |
| 9 | Leon Felderer / Sandra Robatscher | ITA-2 | 9 | 40.198 | 1:22.963 |
| 10 | Tucker West / Ashley Farquharson | USA-2 | 12 | 40.154 | 1:22.975 |
| 11 | Dylan Morse / Trinity Ellis | CAN-1 | 3 | 40.420 | 1:23.268 |
| 12 | Theo Downey / Embyr-Lee Susko | CAN-2 | 2 | 40.460 | 1:23.299 |
| 13 | Anton Dukach / Yulianna Tunytska | UKR-1 | 10 | 40.106 | 1:23.345 |
| 14 | Mateusz Sochowicz / Klaudia Domaradszka | POL | 7 | 40.190 | 1:23.381 |
| 15 | Jozef Ninis / Veronica Ravenna | SVK/ARG | 8 | 40.285 | 1:23.615 |
| 16 | Andriy Mandziy / Olena Smaha | UKR-2 | 5 | 40.131 | 1:23.679 |
| 17 | Svante Kohala / Tove Kohala | SWE | 11 | 40.492 | 1:23.821 |
| 18 | Valentin Cretu / Ioana-Corina Buzatoiu | ROU | 6 | 40.721 | 1:24.209 |
| 19 | Walter Vikström / Hyesun Jung | FIN/KOR | 1 | 41.789 | 1:25.334 |
| DSQ | Seiya Kobayashi / Elsa Desmond | JPN/IRL | 4 | DSQ | |
| DSQ | David Nößler / Merle Fräbel | GER-2 | 19 | DSQ |