Latvia's team the fastest in Altenberg

Altenberg (FIL/12 Jan 2025) For the third time this season, the EBERSPAECHER Team Relay presented by BMW was held, and for the third time a different team took the lead. After Austria and Germany, Latvia was able to enter its name on the list of winners in Altenberg.

Kendija Aparjode, Martins Bots/Roberts Plume, Kristers Aparjods and Marta Robezniece/Kitija Bogdanova were the fastest in 3:15.715 minutes. It was the seventh relay win for the Latvians.

“We are incredibly proud that we have now managed to turn things around after our mistakes in the last relay,” said Plume. The German team of Anna Berreiter, Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt, Max Langenhan and Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal finished 0.199 seconds behind Latvia. “We made too many mistakes,” analyzed head coach Patric Leitner.

Luck was on the side of the doubles team Wendl/Arlt, who almost crashed in curve 14 due to a gust of wind. The third team on the podium was the US team with Ashley Farquharson, Marcus Mueller/Ansel Haugsjaa, Jonathan Gustafson, and Chevonne Forgan/Sophia Kirkby (0.434 seconds back). “The Team Relay is always a great thing, it's so much fun,” said Farquharson, “especially when you can finish on the podium on such a difficult track and leave strong teams like Austria behind.” The Austrian team took 0.621 seconds longer than Latvia. The Italians finished fifth (2.039) ahead of Canada (4.714).

It was particularly positive that, after only three teams had been ranked in Sigulda, all nine competing relay teams finished the race this time.