Eggert and Benecken make it an awesome four-some

The German pair, who had recorded back-to-back wins in Lake Placid, as well as triumphs in Konigssee heading into Saturday's round in Sigulda, got the better of two Latvian crews to deny the host nation their first-ever World Cup luge gold medal.

Eggert and Benecken hold the track record at Sigulda and although they didn't come close to setting a new gold standard, they still did enough to top the podium.

Runs of 42.059 and 42.060 seconds saw them top the tree with an overall time of 1:24.119.

That was enough to deny two Latvian pairs, with Oskars Gudramovics and Peteris Kalnins second in 1:24.498 - less than four tenths of a second behind - while Andris Sics and Juris Sics were third in 1:24.588.

Eggert and Benecken top the overall World Cup standings with 725 points, with a hearty advantage over German compatriots Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (576), who finished fourth in Sigulda.