From Oberhof, GER
(January 23, 2026) – Merle Fräbel’s outstanding Olympic season continued in Oberhof, where she won her second straight on the German track while once again holding off Lisa Schulte in the process.
Schulte took the lead in the first heat ahead of Fräbel, with teammate Hannah Prock sliding in between Schulte and the German.
But it was Julia Taubitz with the big run in the second heat. The reigning World Cup champion had put down a middling run in the first heat but threw down a strong second run to take the lead from USA’s Summer Britcher. She then held her spot in the leader’s box as she held back Elina Bota, Anna Berreiter, Verna Hofer and previous week’s bronze medalist Natalie Maag.
Fräbel was the first slider to out-slide Taubitz over two heats as she put down a big second run to edge out her teammate by just over a tenth with Prock and Schulte still to go.
Up next was Prock. The two-race winner on the season has a bit of trouble up top and was unable to rally entirely, eventually finishing just behind Maag in what would eventually be seventh place.
Schulte was the final slider in the second heat. Coming into the heat just under a tenth of a second ahead of Fräbel. Her second start was quicker than Fräbel’s, but her slide just wasn’t able to match her German rival’s. Coming down nearly two tenths behind Fräbel in the heat, Schulte took silver by a tenth behind Fräbel, with Fräbel winning gold.
The win for Fräbel was her second straight and third medal on the season. For Schulte, the silver was her third in four races.
Bota finished the race in fourth place, with Berreiter in fifth and Maag sixth.
Summer Britcher was the top American in ninth place, with teammate Ashley Farquharson in 15th.
Caitlin Nash put together two solid runs to finish 12th. Teammate Embyr-Lee Susko was 18th and Trinity Ellis 21st.
Kaia Hatton was 29th for Great Britain.
With two races remaining in the World Cup season, Lisa Schulte has a 15 point lead over Julia Taubitz, with Fräbel just four points behind Taubitz in third. Hannah Prock and Summer Britcher round out the top five.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Merle Fräbel | GER | 12 | 7.654 | 7.663 | 41.752 | 41.578 | 1:23.330 |
| 2 | Lisa Schulte | AUT | 15 | 7.661 | 7.655 | 41.684 | 41.751 | 1:23.435 |
| 3 | Julia Taubitz | GER | 13 | 7.693 | 7.663 | 41.816 | 41.651 | 1:23.467 |
| 4 | Elina Ieva Bota | LAT | 9 | 7.521 | 7.530 | 41.813 | 41.715 | 1:23.528 |
| 5 | Anna Berreiter | GER | 14 | 7.606 | 7.590 | 41.811 | 41.764 | 1:23.575 |
| 6 | Natalie Maag | SUI | 10 | 7.654 | 7.659 | 41.785 | 41.796 | 1:23.581 |
| 7 | Hannah Prock | AUT | 17 | 7.661 | 7.701 | 41.731 | 41.880 | 1:23.611 |
| 8 | Verena Hofer | ITA | 6 | 7.620 | 7.642 | 41.797 | 41.870 | 1:23.667 |
| 9 | Summer Britcher | USA | 16 | 7.631 | 7.610 | 41.827 | 41.878 | 1:23.705 |
| 10 | Kendija Aparjode | LAT | 8 | 7.638 | 7.632 | 41.833 | 41.908 | 1:23.741 |
| 11 | Dorothea Schwarz | AUT | 7 | 7.680 | 7.674 | 42.106 | 41.764 | 1:23.870 |
| 12 | Caitlin Nash | CAN | 4 | 7.634 | 7.631 | 41.964 | 41.969 | 1:23.933 |
| 13 | Sandra Robatscher | ITA | 5 | 7.671 | 7.668 | 41.944 | 41.994 | 1:23.938 |
| 14 | Melina Fischer | GER | 3 | 7.745 | 7.666 | 42.037 | 41.908 | 1:23.945 |
| 15 | Ashley Farquharson | USA | 11 | 7.667 | 7.714 | 42.032 | 42.022 | 1:24.054 |
| 16 | Zane Kaluma | LAT | 18 | 7.689 | 7.677 | 42.022 | 42.096 | 1:24.118 |
| 17 | Nina Zöggeler | ITA | 1 | 7.754 | 7.766 | 42.104 | 42.212 | 1:24.316 |
| 18 | Embyr-Lee Susko | CAN | 19 | 7.710 | 7.750 | 42.193 | 42.148 | 1:24.341 |
| 19 | Daria Olesik | AIN | 2 | 7.655 | 7.650 | 41.973 | 42.447 | 1:24.420 |
| 20 | Tove Kohala | SWE | 20 | 7.741 | 7.722 | 42.270 | 42.275 | 1:24.545 |
| 21 | Ioana-Corina Buzatoiu | ROU | 23 | 7.711 | 42.271 | |||
| 22 | Trinity Ellis | CAN | 21 | 7.727 | 42.277 | |||
| 23 | Yulianna Tunytska | UKR | 24 | 7.654 | 42.403 | |||
| 24 | Olena Smaha | UKR | 22 | 7.659 | 42.441 | |||
| 25 | Hyesun Jung | KOR | 25 | 7.749 | 42.467 | |||
| 26 | Klaudia Domaradzka | POL | 28 | 7.709 | 42.558 | |||
| 27 | Veronica Ravenna | ARG | 26 | 7.904 | 42.734 | |||
| 28 | Elsa Desmond | IRL | 27 | 7.799 | 42.893 | |||
| 29 | Kaia Hatton | GBR | 30 | 7.796 | 43.077 | |||
| 30 | Yubin Shin | KOR | 29 | 7.847 | 43.120 |