Pavlichenko retains European crown while Loch's World Cup coronation arrives

The 26-year-old Russian slider followed up his triumph in Konigssee in 2017 by putting together runs of 48.271 and 48.487 to top the podium, Pavlichenko recording an overall time of 1:36.758.

He finished a whisker ahead of Germany's reigning Olympic champion Loch, 28, with the gap just 0.011 seconds.

Loch came home in 1:36.769 overall but a second-placed finish was more than enough to ensure he finished 85 points clear of Austria's Wolfgang Kindl at the top of the overall World Cup standings, with Russia’s Roman Repilov (1:36.870) finishing third in both the championship picture and in Sigulda.

World Cup glory is Loch's sixth triumph in seven seasons.

Meanwhile, Pavlichenko also helped Russia to European gold in the team relay event, with the final result mirroring his earlier individual success as German competitors were narrowly edged out.

Tatyana Ivanova, Pavlichenko and the two-man sled of Aleksandr Denisev and Vladislav Antonov racked up a time of 2:13.428 and that was enough to get the better of Natalie Geisenberger, Loch, Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, who clocked in at 2:13.579.

Latvia were third in 2:13.607.

Sportsbeat 2018