From Igls, AUT
(Nov. 28, 2020) – To start the 2019/2020 season it seemed as though Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller were going to be in contention for medals all season long, and likely challenge for the World Cup title.
But tragedy struck in Sigulda when Thoms Steu broke his leg during a training run, leaving the duo out for the remainder of the season. Because of that, Steu & Koller needed to qualify into the World Cup event through Nation’s Cup first, and then race on Saturday.
On home ice in Igls, not only did the Austrian duo win the Nation’s Cup race, they won the World Cup opener with the fastest time in both heats for their first win since the 2019/2020 race in Altenberg.
Finishing over .2 behind Steu & Koller were teammates Yannick Müller & Armin Frauscher. Müller & Frauscher moved up from fourth in the first heat into silver medal position with the second fastest run of the second heat to win their first silver medal as a duo.
Germans Toni Eggert & Sascha Benecken finished third, just ahead of Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt in fourth. Italians Ludwig Rieder & Patrick Rastner finished fifth, edging out teammates Emanuel Rieder & Simon Kainzwaldner in sixth.
Rieder & Kainzwaldner came into the second heat in second, but a big skid dropped them down to sixth.
The United States and Canada both are sitting out the first portion of the season and will join the tour after the holiday break.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Steu / Koller | AUT | 13 | 2.049 | 2.046 | 39.615 | 49.638 | 1:19.253 |
| 2 | Müller / Frauscher | AUT | 12 | 2.050 | 2.049 | 39.785 | 39.693 | 1:19.478 |
| 3 | Eggert / Benecken | GER | 18 | 2.057 | 2.050 | 39.741 | 39.792 | 1:19.533 |
| 4 | Wendl / Arlt | GER | 22 | 2.068 | 2.053 | 39.849 | 39.748 | 1:19.597 |
| 5 | Rieder / Rastner | ITA | 15 | 2.019 | 2.026 | 39.913 | 39.703 | 1:19.616 |
| 6 | Rieder / Kainzwaldner | ITA | 16 | 2.030 | 2.039 | 39.704 | 39.938 | 1:19.642 |
| 7 | Nagler / Malleier | ITA | 20 | 2.028 | 2.057 | 39.850 | 39.817 | 1:19.667 |
| 8 | Bots / Plume | LAT | 11 | 2.041 | 2.040 | 39.796 | 39.880 | 1:19.676 |
| 9 | Kashkin / Korshunov | RUS | 10 | 2.056 | 2.049 | 39.905 | 39.819 | 1:19.724 |
| 10 | Yuzhakov / Prokhorov | RUS | 9 | 2.066 | 2.089 | 40.080 | 39.953 | 1:20.033 |
| 11 | Orlamünder / Gubitz | GER | 7 | 2.100 | 2.095 | 39.980 | 40.067 | 1:20.047 |
| 12 | Gudramovics / Kalnins | LAT | 19 | 2.095 | 2.804 | 40.110 | 40.035 | 1:20.145 |
| 13 | Gatt / Schöpf | AUT | 8 | 2.113 | 2.111 | 40.113 | 40.088 | 1:20.201 |
| 14 | Sics / Sics | LAT | 21 | 2.045 | 2.038 | 40.022 | 40.208 | 1:20.230 |
| 15 | Stakhiv / Lysetskyi | UKR | 17 | 2.113 | 2.111 | 40.173 | 40.190 | 1:20.363 |
| 16 | Vavercak / Zmij | SVK | 6 | 2.052 | 2.055 | 40.188 | 40.222 | 1:20.410 |
| 17 | Handaric / Ailenei | ROU | 3 | 2.103 | 2.158 | 40.317 | 40.393 | 1:20.710 |
| 18 | Vejdelek / Pekny | CZE | 5 | 2.106 | 2.107 | 40.466 | 40.440 | 1:20.906 |
| 19 | Turea / Motzca | ROU | 4 | 2.102 | 2.111 | 40.468 | 40.453 | 1:20.921 |
| 20 | Park / Cho | KOR | 14 | 2.148 | 2.105 | 40.494 | 40.449 | 1:20.943 |
| 21 | Hoi / Levkovych | UKR | 1 | 2.151 | 2.157 | 41.186 | 40.509 | 1:21.695 |
| 22 | Siscanu / Oprea | MDA | 2 | 2.156 | 2.138 | 41.060 | 41.230 | 1:22.290 |
