Germany wins fourth straight Olympic luge team relay gold

Germany's undefeated streak in the Olympic luge team relay continued Thursday at the Milano Cortina Games, as the powerhouse squad captured its fourth consecutive gold medal in the event with a track record time of 3 minutes, 41.672 seconds at the Cortina Sliding Centre.olympics+2

The victory extended German dominance in the relay since its introduction at Sochi 2014, with the team winning by more than half a second over Austria, which finished with a time of 3:42.214 to claim silver. Host nation Italy delighted home fans by securing bronze in 3:42.521.espn+2

Record-Breaking Performance

The German squad featured both individual singles champions from these Games—Julia Taubitz, who won women's singles gold on February 10, and Max Langenhan, who set track records in all four of his men's singles runs earlier in the week. The men's doubles pairing of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, along with women's doubles silver medalists Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, completed the lineup.straitstimes+2

For Wendl and Arlt, known as the "Bayern Express," the victory marked an historic achievement—their seventh Olympic gold medal, making them the most decorated luge athletes of all time. The duo rebounded from a rare disappointment after winning only bronze in Wednesday's doubles event, returning to the top of the podium in emphatic fashion.nbcolympics+1

German Luge Legacy

The gold medal was Germany's 41st in Olympic luge history, cementing the nation's overwhelming supremacy in the sport since its Olympic debut in 1964. Germany finished the Milano Cortina luge program with five medals overall, including three golds.nbcolympics+1

Taubitz and Langenhan became the only double-gold winners in luge at these Games, according to ESPN. Latvia finished fourth with a time of 3:42.749, while the United States, led by women's singles bronze medalist Ashley Farquharson, placed fifth at 3:42.776—less than three-tenths of a second off a medal position.espn+2