Winter sports - Latvian Kristers Aparjods makes history with World Cup luge triumph in Sochi
BySportsbeat
Updated 04/12/2021 at 17:58 GMT
23-year-old becomes first Latvian to win a men's World Cup luge event. Aparjods sat second after the first run, with Italy's Dominik Fischnaller quickest despite still racing with a borrowed sled and helmet following a shipping delay in transporting his kit from China. Ludwig posted the quickest time on the second run, giving him an overall time of 1:42.905 seconds.
Kristers Aparjods
Image credit: Getty Images
Kristers Aparjods earned Latvia's first ever men's FIL Luge World Cup gold medal with a storming performance in Sochi, ending Johannes Ludwig's winning start to the season in the process.
Aparjods sat second after the first run, with Italy's Dominik Fischnaller quickest despite still racing with a borrowed sled and helmet following a shipping delay in transporting his kit from China.
Ludwig posted the quickest time on the second run, giving him an overall time of 1:42.905 and putting himself in pole position for a third straight success.
But Aparjods backed up his opening run of 51.490s with 51.391s second time around, coming in just over two-tenths of a second quicker than the German overall, with Fischnaller third, and becoming the first Latvian man to occupy the top step of a luge World Cup podium.
The result saw Aparjods climb to fourth in the overall World Cup standings, just three points behind Max Langenhan after his seventh-placed finish in Sochi - Ludwig continues to head an all-German top three.
The doubles was dominated by Russian duo Andrey Bogdanov and Yuri Prokhorov, who went quickest on both runs to earn their first win of the campaign and upgrade their second-placed finish, also in Sochi, last weekend.
Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken took second with Latvia's Andris Sics and Juris Sics in third.
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