Germany triumphantly secured victory in the World Cup luge team relay this past Sunday, with Austria closely following in second place. While this outcome aligns with expectations for these two powerhouse countries, the noteworthy development came from Ukraine’s remarkable third-place finish amid the ongoing challenges of war.
This achievement marked Ukraine’s first World Cup luge medal in over 16 years, highlighting the country’s resilience. The relay team, comprised of singles sliders Yulianna Tunytska and Andriy Mandziy, along with doubles sledders Ihor Hoi and Nazarii Kachmar, and Olena Stetskiy with Oleksandra Mokh, clinched third place in the competition held in Sigulda, Latvia. “It’s amazing,” expressed Tunytska jubilantly as she received flowers on the podium, blowing kisses in celebration.
Ukraine’s podium finish came in an unexpected manner. Of the seven teams that entered the relay, four failed to complete their runs. Ukraine finished nearly four seconds behind the winning time set by Germany—a significant gap in a sport where events are typically decided by fractions of a second. However, with three teams finishing the race, Ukraine’s time was fast enough to secure the bronze medal.
“Congratulations to Ukraine. … Drama is drama, and a great story is a great story,” remarked commentator Tim Singer during the International Luge Federation’s live broadcast. The context of this victory is crucial; as Ukraine approaches nearly four years of conflict with Russia, the challenges faced by their sliding team are substantial.
The team’s preparations take place without the luxury of a dedicated sliding track in Ukraine. The athletes consider the facility in Sigulda their primary training ground and usually hold their training camps there in the autumn. In contrast, many competitors from other countries, such as Germany, the United States, and Canada, have access to various tracks at home, which provides them with a competitive edge. Ukraine lacks this opportunity, as it has never secured a medal in sliding sports—be it luge, bobsled, or skeleton—at the Olympic Games. Until their recent performance, they had not been substantial contenders in the current World Cup season. Prior to this, the last time Ukraine earned a World Cup luge medal was in December 2008, with Natalia Yakushenko finishing second in women’s singles at the same venue.
Reflecting on the race, Mandziy remarked, “It was a curious race.” The relay saw the U.S., Italy, Latvia, and Poland all fail to finish, each encountering various issues that halted their progress. The team relay event consists of four sleds in total—women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, and men’s doubles. Each athlete must finish their run and successfully activate a pad at the finish line that signals the next competitor to begin. The team with the fastest overall time wins.
In their run, U.S. athlete Emily Sweeney did not tap the pad adequately, leading to disqualification. However, following a technical difficulty with the timing system, the team was granted a second chance but ultimately crashed in their attempt. Similarly, Latvia faced a setback and could not recover, while Poland and Italy also exited due to crashes. When the competition concluded, Ukraine emerged as one of the only three teams to finish. “It’s a very emotional race,” Mandziy added. “Very emotional. … We’re very happy.”
In the men’s singles portion of the World Cup, Austria’s Nico Gleirscher took the top spot, followed by Kristers Aparjods of Latvia and Max Langenhan of Germany. The best-performing U.S. male athlete was Tucker West, who placed seventh.
In the realm of bobsledding at Winterberg, Germany dominated by winning five out of six available medals during the World Cup races held on Sunday. The women’s bobsled event saw Germany achieving a complete podium sweep, with Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide finishing first, followed by Laura Nolte with Deborah Levi in second, and Kim Kalicki alongside Leonie Fiebig in third. The leading American team, featuring driver Kaillie Humphries and push athlete Emily Renna, secured a fourth-place finish. Notably, Lolo Jones made her return to World Cup bobsledding since 2021, finishing in twelfth place alongside driver Elana Meyers Taylor.
In the four-man bobsled race, Britain’s Brad Hall emerged victorious, with Germans Francesco Friedrich and Adam Ammour rounding out the podium in second and third, respectively. The U.S. sled driven by Frank del Duca finished in twelfth position.
Looking ahead, the upcoming events include the World Cup for skeleton—featuring men’s, women’s, and mixed races—set to take place in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Friday, followed by bobsled events in St. Moritz on Saturday and Sunday, and luge competitions in Altenberg, Germany, on the same weekend.
