Max Langenhan maintains unbeaten World Cup run as Germans light up Winterberg – ‘Happy to have won’

Max Langenhan’s luge dominance continued with a 10th consecutive World Cup singles win in Winterberg.

The 24-year-old German, who has won 12 World Cup races during his career so far, fell just short of eclipsing his own track record in a superb start to 2024.

Dominik Fischnaller of Italy finished second, while Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods sneaked in to claim third after mistakes from Jonas Mueller and Wolfgang Kindl.

“I would have loved to give the track workers a track record, but it wasn’t their fault that it didn’t work out, it was mine,” said Langenhan, who was less than two-tenths of a second off his record time from a year ago.

“I was too bad at the start and on the track. Nevertheless, I’m happy to have won.”

Langenhan ended last campaign with six successive World Cup victories, and has now won all four of the opening races this season.

“You can’t beat Max at the moment, he just doesn’t make any mistakes,” Fischnaller said.

Langenhan now sits 70 points clear of Mueller atop the overall standings ahead of the next stage in Innsbruck next weekend.

Further German success followed in the team relay, as Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal rallied to ensure there was no surrender of the title won in Whistler last month.

The margin of victory could not have been much narrower however, with runners-up Austria little more than four-hundredths of a second further back, while the US team took third.