Tobias Wendl, Tobias Arlt change course on luge retirement, can break Olympic record in 2030
· Yahoo Sports
The legendary German doubles luge team of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt plans to bid for a fifth Olympics in 2030, reversing their original plan to retire before the next Winter Games in the French Alps.
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Wendl and Arlt, born 14 days apart in 1987, made the announcement in a video titled “Project 2030.”
Back in February, the seven-time Olympic gold medalists said they would continue to compete, but not long enough to make it to the next Games, where they could become the first Winter Olympians to win a fifth gold medal in the same event.
Wendl and Arlt won bronze in men's doubles in Cortina — after golds in the previous three Games — and a fourth consecutive gold in the team relay.
"In the interview right after the race, I simply stated, 'OK, that’s it for the Olympics,'" Wendl said in the video published Friday, according to a translation. "But we spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting over the last six months and decided, no, we aren't satisfied yet. This isn't the end. We can't imagine quitting just yet."
In summer training, the duo known as "the Tobis" recorded the fastest start speeds of their career together.
"We want to bring the young (German) athletes seamlessly into the world's top tier," Arlt said. "That is our goal and our intention, to pass on the knowledge we gained."
Wendl and Arlt will each be 42 years old in 2030, which is older than any previous Winter Olympic gold medalist in any singles or doubles event in any sport.
The only older Winter Olympic medalists of any color outside of team sports and relays were bobsledders from more than 70 years ago.
"The idea of the 2030 Olympics taking place in the Alps, in La Plagne, is really appealing," Wendl said. "We experienced it in Cortina, where the Games were also held in the mountains — where winter is truly at home."
Wendl and Arlt are tied for fourth for the most Winter Olympic gold medals behind Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (11), who is still competing, and Norwegian cross-country skiers Marit Bjørgen and Bjørn Dæhlie and biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen (eight), all retired.
2026 Olympic luge in review: Germany dominates; Farquharson gives U.S. its medal momentBetween Olympic firsts and continued dominance, luge had a 2026 Games to remember at Milan Cortina.