Comeback of the year: Toni Eggert is now competing in doubles with Florian Müller

Berchtesgaden (FIL/02 Oct 2024) The luge world is on the verge of a spectacular comeback: Toni Eggert, eleven-time World Champion and Olympic medalist, announced his comeback in the doubles.

After a stint as a coach in the USA, Eggert decided to return to the luge track as an athlete for the 2024/2025 season.

Eggert's announcement came as a surprise. The record World Cup winners Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (54 World Cup victories) had only officially retired from competitive sports in January 2024 at the home World Cup in Oberhof.

36-year-old Eggert, one of the most successful lugers in history, has decided to make a comeback together with his new doubles partner, 23-year-old Florian Müller from Oberwiesenthal. The chemistry between the two seems to be right, and their first starts on the ice in Oberhof and Königssee were promising.

“In my mind, I never really ended my career, even though I was a coach. At the World Championships in Altenberg, I then saw Florian compete in the forerunner and a few days later I called him and asked if he could imagine competing with me in the doubles. Of course, I also asked the coaches and BSD leadership if they would support my comeback. Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense. Now it's already fall and we're about to start the season. It's incredible how quickly it has happened and I'm excited to see how it goes,” said Eggert, commenting on his decision.

Florian Müller, who is considered an up-and-coming talent in the sport of luge, was just as enthusiastic about the partnership with an experienced champion as Toni Eggert: ”Toni had already asked me the year before and I found his offer attractive, but I still wanted to try a lot of new things in the singles.
Then I gave it my all, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for the World Cup, and then Toni came around the corner again to Altenberg. He was very persistent. He really wanted me, and it was such an attractive offer for me. I couldn't say no anymore. After the season, everyone trained on their own for a while. We went to the ice start in Oberhof and Koenigssee together twice and now it's time to get back on the track. We're starting in Lillehammer, and I don't even know where the time has gone. It's crazy.”

Toni Eggert is looking forward to the pre-Olympic season: “I'm impressed by how quickly we've managed to pull together on the handle. But we still have a bit of work ahead of us. Especially when paddling, we have to be in the same rhythm. It's not easy. You have to train and gain a lot of experience. And the only way to do that is to have a lot of starts and then a lot of runs. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Toni Eggert's comeback with Florian Müller promises an exciting new dynamic in the men's doubles and will undoubtedly attract the attention of the entire luge community. Fans can look forward to seeing how this partnership develops on the World Cup tracks in the coming season.