Winter Sports: Wendl, Arlt win 4th straight at luge World Cup

Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt clocked the fastest times in both runs to finish with a combined time of 1 minute, 25.104 seconds.

Roman Koksarov/AP

SIGULDA, Latvia (AP) -- Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won their fourth consecutive luge World Cup event Saturday to maintain a perfect record this season.

The Germans clocked the fastest times in both runs in Sigulda to finish with a combined time of 1 minute, 25.104 seconds.

Austrians Peter Penz and Georg Fischler came in second, ahead of Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber of Italy.

"During our training runs we had difficulties in the middle part of track," Wendl said. "But we analyzed our problems and then put it into practice in the second run. Even though we're not so fast any more at the start we have improved our technique. And what is more - we're having fun."

Americans Matthew Mortensen and Preston Griffall were 12th, 1.134 seconds behind the winners. The other U.S. team, Jake Hyrns and Andrew Sherk, finished 16th.

Earlier Saturday, Tatiana Ivanova of Russia shattered Germany's winning streak in the women's competition, beating four Germans to clinch her second luge World Cup victory and first of the season.

"My first run was really very good. I'm pleased that I kept my lead until the very end," Ivanova said.

Ivanova led after the first run and held on to finish 0.039 seconds ahead of Natalie Geisenberger, who was fastest in the second run. Geisenberger tops the World Cup standings after four events.

Three other Germans, Anke Wischnewski, Olympic champion Tatjana Huefner and Corinna Martini, were next.

"I the second run I showed my potential. But then it's good for the sport when every now and again another luger takes the podium's top spot," Geisenberger said. "I'm quite happy with the course of the season - twice on first place, twice a second-place finish and being at the top of the overall rankings. Well, that's not too bad."

Erin Hamlin of the United States was sixth, 0.545 seconds behind Ivanova, while compatriots Julia Clukey and Emily Sweeney were 10th and 17th.

Norway's Moan wins Nordic combined

RAMSAU, Austria (AP) -- Magnus Moan led a Norwegian 1-2 finish ahead of Mikko Kokslien at a World Cup Nordic combined event Saturday to move top of the overall standings.

It was Moan's third win of the season and 22nd overall.

He was third after the jumping discipline and started the 10-kilometer cross-country 30 seconds behind Austria's Mario Seidl and 28 behind Norway's Haavard Klemetsen.

Moan soon took the lead and finished in 22 minutes, 53.6 seconds, beating Kokslien by 5.9 seconds.

Fabian Riessle of Germany was 7.4 back in third. Defending overall champion Jason Lamy Chappuis of France, who led the standings going into the event, finished 13.5 behind Moan in fifth place. Seidl and Klemetsen finished outside of the top-10.

Moan leads with 313 points, followed by Lamy Chappuis with 275 and Bernhard Gruber of Austria with 168.

Another Nordic combined World Cup event in Ramsau is scheduled for Sunday.