Austria, Germany take gold in historic luge world championship races

By Canadian Press on February 6, 2025.

WHISTLER, B.C. — Austria and Germany raced to historic gold medals at the luge world championships in Whistler, B.C., on Thursday.

Max Langenhan and Julia Taubitz won the first-ever mixed singles world championship title with a time of one minute 22.354 seconds. The United States was second and Austria finished third.

Austria’s Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl, and Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp finished first in the inaugural mixed doubles race in one minute 22.894 seconds. German teams took silver and bronze.

Dylan Morse of Calgary and Trinity Ellis of Whistler were the top Canadians in mixed singles, finishing 11th, 0.914 seconds back of the Langenhan and Taubitz. Fellow Canadians Theo Downey of Calgary and Embyr-Lee Susko of Whistler were 12th, 0.035 seconds behind their teammates.

In the mixed doubles race, Devin Wardrope and Cole Anthony Zajanski, and Beattie Podulsky and Kailey Allan — all from Calgary — came in eighth, 1.029 seconds behind the Austrian gold medallists.

The mixed disciplines replace sprint races in the world championships’ lineup.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press