From Whistler, CAN
(February 8, 2025) – The 53rd FIL World Championships finished up with the Team Relay, one of the most unpredictable races on the luge calendar. And the unpredictability of the race was on full display on Saturday night.
The race kicked off with relatively clean runs by Romania and Poland. Canada’s team of Embyr-Lee Susko, Wardrope and Zajanski, Theo Downey, and Podulsky and Allan put down a smooth set of runs to take the lead from the fourth starting spot.
Then things got a bit weird.
Up next was Italy. Sandra Robatscher slid clean and hit the paddle. But the team of Nagler and Malleier started too early and hit the gate, leading to a disqualification for the team.
Latvia followed Italy off the top, and looked to have a lead in hand. Their women’s doubles team of Robezniece and Bogdanova seemed to be on the way to giving them at least a shot at a medal, but a late crash led to a DNF for the Latvians.
Then the United States had their chance to unseat the Canadians. Emily Sweeney, the bronze medalist in the women’s singles race, got the team out to a big lead. But an issue going into the final curve by Mueller and Haugsjaa set the Americans back by over a second. Despite a strong effort by both Jonny Gustafson and Forgan and Kirkby, the United States came up just over three tenths short of the Canadians.
Austria was the team that finally could beat Canada, but even then it was close. Madeleine Egle had a great run, as did Steu and Kindl. That is until the finish curve, where at the exit the Austrian doubles team pinballed their way up the finish straight to the paddle. They did hit the paddle and kept the team in the lead. Fromt here, both Nico Gleirscher and Egle and Kipp kept the Austrians ahead of the Canadians to guarantee at least silver.
Finally it was Germany’s turn. On the hunt for World Championships gold number 11, Julia Taubitz, Orlamünder and Gubitz, and Max Langenhan all opened up a yawning lead on the Austrians. But in this race nothing came easy. Degenhardt and Rosenthal, like Steu and Kindl before them, hit the wall right-side out of Curve 16 and bounced back and forth along the finish straight walls. Degenhardt was able to get her hands up and hit the paddle with just a tenth to spare to give Germany the gold, with Austria silver and Canada bronze.
The United States finished fourth, with Poland fifth, Ukraine sixth, and Romania seventh.
The final medal tally for the 53rd World Championships:
1. Germany (5G, 4S, 3B)
2. Austria (2G, 1S, 2B)
3. USA (1S, 1B)
4. Latvia (1S)
5. Canada (1B)
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Women | M-Doubles | Men | W-Doubles |
| 1 | Taubitz / Orlamünder & Gubitz / Langenhan / Degenhardt & Rosenthal | GER | 9 | 42.711 | 1:25.004 | 2:06.981 | 2:50.361 |
| 2 | Egle / Steu & Kindl / N. Gleirscher / Egle & Kipp | AUT | 8 | 42.720 | 1:25.300 | 2:07.552 | 2:50.492 |
| 3 | Susko / Wardrope & Zajanski / Downey / Podulsky & Allan | CAN | 4 | 42.854 | 1:25.512 | 2:08.112 | 2:51.641 |
| 4 | Sweeney / Mueller & Haugsjaa / Gustafson / Forgan & Kirkby | USA | 7 | 42.725 | 1:26.574 | 2:08.812 | 2:51.954 |
| 5 | Doaradzka / Chmielewski & Kowalewski / Sochowicz / Domowicz & Piwkowska | POL | 2 | 43.291 | 1:25.939 | 2:08.300 | 2:52.097 |
| 6 | Tunytska / Hoi & Kachmar / Mandziy / Stetskiv & Mokh | UKR | 3 | 43.165 | 1:26.502 | 2:08.905 | 2:53.125 |
| 7 | Buzatoiu / Gitlan & Serban / Cretu / Stramaturaru & Manolescu | ROU | 1 | 43.168 | 1:26.720 | 2:09.389 | 2:53.248 |
| DNF | Aparjode / Bots & Plume / Aparjods / Robezniece & Bogdanova | LAT | 6 | 42.828 | 1:25.118 | 2:07.211 | DNF |
| DSQ | Robatscher / Nagler & Malleier / Fischnaller / Vöter & Oberhofer | ITA | 5 | 43.080 | DSQ |