From Winterberg, GER
(January 11, 2026) – Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt slid to victory for the first time of the 2025/2026 World Cup season, but had to come from behind to do so.
The duo trailed Austrians Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl after the first heat by just under .04, with Winterberg race 1 winners Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schöpf back in third within a shot of gold as well.
In the second heat, Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier took the lead from Germans Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz, and then held it as Yannick Müller and Armin Fauscher couldn’t quite match their place.
The Italians would be kept off the podium though. Gatt and Schöpf slid to the lead ahead of them by over a tenth of a second with Wendl and Arlt up next. The Germans then did what they’ve done so many times before in putting down a clean and quick run when it mattered the most.
That left Steu and Kindl to keep the Germans off the top of the podium. The duo had a strong start, but a tick slower than Wendl and Arlt. While their slide matched their first effort, it was just off the pace of their German counterparts and as they crossed the finish line they saw themselves in second, .054 back, with Gatt and Schöpf wihtin a tenth of a second in third.
Nagler and Malleier were fourth, Müller and Frauscher fifth, and Orlamünder and Gubitz sixth.
Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa slid to a tenth place finish, with teammates Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander in 12th.
Despite the win being their first of the season, Wendl and Arlt lead Gatt and Schöpf in the World Cup standings. Martins Bots and Roberts Plume are third, with Müller and Frauscher fourth and Steu and Kindl fifth.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Wendl / Arlt | GER | 10 | 3.008 | 3.013 | 42.842 | 42.757 | 1:25.599 |
| 2 | Steu / Kindl | AUT | 4 | 3.031 | 3.047 | 42.934 | 42.719 | 1:25.653 |
| 3 | Gatt / Schöpf | AUT | 6 | 3.034 | 3.041 | 42.921 | 42.767 | 1:25.688 |
| 4 | Nagler / Malleier | ITA | 12 | 3.011 | 3.009 | 42.952 | 42.882 | 1:25.834 |
| 5 | Müller / Frauscher | AUT | 8 | 3.026 | 3.036 | 42.993 | 42.847 | 1:25.840 |
| 6 | Orlamünder / Gubitz | GER | 3 | 3.067 | 3.064 | 42.956 | 42.944 | 1:25.900 |
| 7 | Sevics-Mikelsevics / Krasts | LAT | 13 | 3.028 | 3.035 | 43.059 | 42.926 | 1:25.985 |
| 8 | Bots / Plume | LAT | 11 | 3.053 | 3.061 | 42.998 | 43.006 | 1:26.004 |
| 9 | Eggert / Müller | GER | 15 | 3.111 | 3.048 | 43.052 | 43.021 | 1:26.073 |
| 10 | Mueller / Haugsjaa | USA | 14 | 3.049 | 3.058 | 43.150 | 43.026 | 1:26.176 |
| 11 | Rieder / Kainzwaldner | ITA | 5 | 3.087 | 3.063 | 43.098 | 43.088 | 1:26.186 |
| 12 | DiGregorio / Hollander | USA | 7 | 3.071 | 3.078 | 43.248 | 43.042 | 1:26.290 |
| 13 | Chmielewski / Gancarczyk | POL | 2 | 3.024 | 3.041 | 43.216 | 43.086 | 1:26.302 |
| 14 | Brunner / Weissensteiner | ITA | 1 | 3.068 | 3.073 | 43.264 | 43.157 | 1:26.421 |
| 15 | Martsinovskyi / Babura | UKR | 20 | 3.085 | 3.100 | 43.641 | 43.656 | 1:27.297 |
| 16 | Hoi / Kachmar | UKR | 19 | 3.113 | 3.130 | 43.655 | 43.721 | 1:27.376 |
| 17 | Jubayi / Hou | CHN | 17 | 3.077 | 3.071 | 44.268 | 43.573 | 1:27.841 |
| 18 | Gitlan / Serban | ROU | 18 | 3.081 | 43.747 | |||
| 19 | Handaric / Motzca | ROU | 21 | 3.125 | 43.791 | |||
| 20 | Panchuk / Muts | UKR | 22 | 3.158 | 44.511 | |||
| DNF | Kellogg / Ike | USA | 9 | 3.087 | 3.121 | 43.322 | DNF | |
| DNF | Bosman / Mick | SVK | 16 | 3.091 | DNF |