From Sigulda, LAT
(January 4, 2026) – Austria took their first Team Relay gold of the season with a come from behind victory over Latvia in Sigulda.
The race kicked off with a DNF run by China. After that, the United States team of Summer Britcher, Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander, Jonny Gustafson, and Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby slid to a time of 3:01.643 that would stand for three two teams.
After Ukraine and Poland failed to match the American effort, Latvia pulled off from the top. Elina Bota, Edwards Sevics-Mikelsevics and Lukass Krasts, Kristers Aparjods, and Marta Robezniece and Ktiija Bogdanova were behind early, but slid to the lead on the strenght of an outstanding slide by Aparjods.
Up next were the Italians and Germans. Italy’s Verena Hofer had trouble on the finish curve and missed the paddle. Germany then went and seemed to have a medal in hand when Dajana Eitberger and Magdelena Matachina crashed midway through their run.
That put Latvia and the United States solidly on the podium with just Austria to go.
Lisa Schulte was first off and kept pace with the time set by Bota. After Yannick Müller and Armin Frauscher and Jonas Müller completed their runs Austria still found themselves trailing. That deficit ran all the way through the final curve of Selina Egle and Lara Kipp’s run, where the duo found time where seemingly nobody else could and the team slid to gold by .295, with the United States a half second back in third.
The gold was the third medal for Austria, having scored two silvers to start the season. Latvia’s silver was a season-best, while the United States took bronze for the second straight time.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Women | M-Doubles | Men | W-Doubles |
| 1 | Schulte / Müller & Frauscher / Müller / Egle & Kipp | AUT | 8 | 45.376 | 1:30.628 | 2:15.278 | 3:01.215 |
| 2 | Bota / Sevics-Mikelsevics & Krasts / Aparjods / Robezniece & Bogdanova | LAT | 5 | 45.387 | 1:30.315 | 2:15.088 | 3:01.510 |
| 3 | Britcher / DiGregorio & Hollander / Gustafson / Forgan & Kirkby | USA | 2 | 45.135 | 1:30.262 | 2:15.444 | 3:01.643 |
| 4 | Domaradzka / Chmielewski & Gancarczyk / Sochowicz / Domowicz & Piwkowska | POL | 4 | 46.375 | 1:32.027 | 2:17.137 | 3:04.090 |
| 5 | Tunytska / Martsinovskyi & Babura / Dukach / Stetskiv & Mokh | UKR | 3 | 46.262 | 1:32.279 | 2:17.293 | 3:05.256 |
| DNF | Taubitz / Wendl & Arlt / Loch / Eitberger & Matschina | GER | 7 | 45.251 | 1:30.573 | 2:15.247 | DNF |
| DNF | Wang / Jubayi & Hou / Bao / Guilijienaiti & Zhao | CHN | 1 | 45.907 | DNF | ||
| DSQ | Hofer / Nagler & Malleier / Felderer / Vötter & Oberhofer | ITA | 6 | DSQ |