Minus. Plus. Minus. Plus. In between, the times in this last luge competition on the Olympic course in Beijing changed wildly back and forth. The Germans, who had won everything so far, were apparently shown their limits in the very last race, shortly before the end of their fourth triumph, which everyone was expecting. Because in the middle of the three team relay sections they rode back and forth on the border between first and second place, and at the end, when the doubles shot towards the finish line with a wafer-thin lead, Tobias Wendl‘s right hand would have long since had it had to shoot up in the direction of the tee mat, only – where was she?
It has happened that tobogganists missed the only medium-sized area and knocked the entire team out of the race with an aerial blow. But yes, Wendl kept everything under control, and even if he had to grin at himself afterwards, it was enough. Toboggan team Germany landed 0.08 seconds ahead of Austria. The team from Latvia won bronze, but was then already 0.948 seconds behind after the three races. This means that Natalie Geisenberger and the Wendl/Arlt duo are among those athletes who, in addition to three team gold medals, have already won three individual Olympic gold medals. “We then just went and had fun on the train. It’s crazy,” said Arlt and his partner Wendl added: “The sixth gold is just fantastic. We deserved to win and will celebrate.”
In total, the three toboggan teams from the German Bobsleigh and Sled Association won four gold medals at these games, as well as two silver plaques. All the previous successes had been achieved confidently, but minor mistakes intervened in the team relay, which may also have something to do with the fact that the Germans were suddenly under real pressure for the first time in this young competition.
They had been annoyed the day before, at least the affected Wendl and Arlt. Around ten o’clock in the evening, when they won the third luge gold for the BSD in doubles, they lined up for a group photo, which was suddenly followed by Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee. Normally a common process, but in this case Wendl/Arlt made a good face but found Bach’s presence intrusive, so reported Image. This apparently had to do with a bad corona quarantine experience by Arlt, who felt left alone by the IOC. At the Test World Cup in Yanqing in November, he encountered cockroaches in the isolation hotel, and the food was also miserable. However, the anger was gone the next day, but maybe Wendl/Arlt were already in the next concentration tunnel, namely the one in front of the team relay.
Also good in synchronized jumping: Natalie Geisenberger, Johannes Ludwig, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt.
(Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa)
Its format, which was introduced in winter 2013/2014 for the climax, the Olympic Games in Sochi/Russia, has meanwhile increased its attractiveness. The Germans are still dominant with their four large ice rinks in Central Germany and Upper Bavaria and with their tradition in the corresponding locations. However, Beijing showed that victory is no longer easy to achieve. Top luger Felix Loch, for example, did not make it onto the podium. And finally, the subtleties that belong to the squadron are now also mastered by the other nations.
It’s not just about tobogganing anymore, it’s also about the reaction time and knocking off this mat, which seemed strange at the beginning, somehow reminiscent of a format from earlier TV evening entertainment, Game without Borders. However, a team race was requested by the world association ten years ago, ideally a relay that needs such a quick handover. The change with the hitting mat, which with its acoustic signal, which now also requires a quick reaction in addition to concentration, is now better mastered. And this time best from the Austrians.
Their three sleds were almost flawless. Starter Madeleine Egle, who had failed in the singles, presented a flawless first section this time, Wolfgang Kindl then extended this lead by a few tenths before the double Steu/Koller extended the credit to just under a second, in sledding a small eternity – which, after single-seater Johannes Ludwig had countered, Wendl/Arlt had to counter somehow.
Flap knocked off, gong, and the two Tobiasse threw themselves into the track, still just behind, which quickly resulted in a lead, albeit a minimal one. And because no more major mistakes crept in, everything once again depended on the exit of the third to last corner, the 13th.
And indeed, at the very end of this tobogganing week, the track increased the excitement again, Wendl/Arlt once again lost their rhythm and came very close to the band, then in the end the two still had enough speed to almost miss the tee-off mat and ultimately winning the fourth part of the Beijing luge competition with a lead of eight hundredths.
