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Huefner edges Geisenberger in last luge World Cup of season

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WINTERBERG, Germany (AP) Tatjana Huefner edged German compatriot and overall winner Natalie Geisenberger to win the last luge World Cup of the season.

Huefner was quickest in her first run of 56.734 seconds and her second run of 56.275 was fast enough to beat Geisenberger's two efforts by 0.129 Saturday. It was Huefner's second straight win and her third of the season.

Geisenberger, who set a track record with her second run for a combined time of 1:53.138, had already claimed her fourth successive overall title with her fourth-place finish last weekend.

Tatiana Ivanova of Russia was third Saturday - 0.359 behind Huefner - ahead of Eliza Cauce of Latvia and the United States's Erin Hamlin.

Geisenberger ended the season with 895 points, ahead of Ivanova on 771 and Huefner on 769.

Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken won their second successive doubles World Cup later Saturday but couldn't prevent German compatriots Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt from claiming their fourth overall title.

Eggert and Benecken posted the quickest times in both runs - 43.158 for a track record in the first, then 43.315 in the second - to beat Wendl and Arlt by 0.390.

''I think we can now go and enjoy the summer in peace. And it's sorely needed because you're out of air at some stage,'' Benecken said.

Wendl and Arlt, the world and Olympic champions, claimed 85 points from their second successive second place and finished with 1,037 points, ahead of Eggert and Benecken on 962.

''I think we deserved to win the overall title. The season didn't get off to a good start but our only major disaster was in Lake Placid,'' said Wendl, referring to their eighth-place finish. ''Aside from that, we were always in contention at the front.''

Austria's Peter Penz and Georg Fischler finished the season third with 785 points, Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber were fourth with 668, and the United States's Matthew Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman came in fifth with 532 points.

The last men's race and a team relay were scheduled for Sunday.

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