Linger brothers, Loch win in World Cup luge

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February 19, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Feb 19, 2012, 02:23 AM EST

SIGULDA, Latvia — Return of the champions played out in Sigulda, Latvia, Saturday, as Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger raced to a World Cup luge doubles victory, followed by a stunning come-from-behind win by German Felix Loch over Italy's Armin Zoeggeler in men's singles.

Loch's dramatic triumph was his sixth in eight World Cup meets and clinched the crystal by mathematically eliminating the rest of the field.

The Lingers, eight days removed from winning their third World Championship in doubles, returned to the World Cup and captured their third event of the season in convincing fashion.

The victory, by nearly 0.24 of as second, was their third straight including the World Championships. It gives them a 45 point lead over Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt in the season-long chase as the Lingers eye their first overall championship.

Wendl and Arlt placed third Saturday, with Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber getting their second World Cup silver medal of the campaign.

Christian Niccum, of Woodinville, Wash. and Jayson Terdiman, of Berwick, Pa., finished seventh, while teammates Matt Mortensen, of Huntington Station, and Preston Griffall, of Salt Lake City, Utah, took 16th place.

Chris Mazdzer, a 2010 Olympian from Saranac Lake, placed 18th as he recovers from a strained back suffered at the start of last weekend's World Championship team relay.

The Lingers overcame the tricky Sigulda start curve with blazing speed.

They were fastest in both heats, posting times of 42.373 and 42.349 seconds en route to a combined one minute, 24.722 seconds. Oberstolz and Gruber, second fastest in each run, clocked 1:24.961. Wendl and Arlt recorded 1:25.091.

With only one event remaining, the Austrians have a total of 680 overall World Cup points.

Wendl and Arlt are next with 635. Another German sled, with Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, were fourth in the race despite setting a start record. They stand third overall with 560 points.

Niccum and Terdiman finished 0.85 behind the winners.

The Americans were timed in 1:25.580 for their two attempts. They never found a rhythm in the opening leg and struggled to gain speed down the 988 meter, 13-curve doubles track.

Germans continue to dominate at the top of the World Cup standings. Loch's World Cup clinching point total is 745.

David Moeller, 12th Saturday, is second with 557. Andi Langenhan, fifth place in the penultimate event of the season, has 517.

Mazdzer was 18th in 1:38.776. He is 25th in the standings with 107 points in only five events.

Taylor Morris, of South Jordan, Utah, is 37th with 47 points; Isaac Underwood, of Skandia, Mich., is tied for 39th with 31 points; Joe Mortensen, of Huntington Station, is deadlocked on 41st place with 30 points; Trent Matheson, of Bountiful, Utah, is 43rd with 23 points; and Robbie Huerbin, of Pittsburgh, Pa., stands 49th with 12 points.

Like Mazdzer, the remainder of the U.S. men's squad has only raced a partial World Cup season.

The Sigulda schedule concludes today with women's singles followed by the final team relay of the year.