“Almost unbelievable”: A toboggan duo on the road to success

Your motto? Together we are strong! Former single-seater tobogganers Andrea Vötter (28) and Marion Oberhofer (23) have demonstrated this impressively with top results for two years. At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina there will be women's doubles in artificial track tobogganing for the first time. Therefore, Vötter approached Oberhofer two years ago and they decided to glide through the ice channel as a tobogganing couple.

The first World Cup season proved to be a huge success. Vötter/Oberhofer won World Cups, captured World Championship medals, collected podium finishes and were rewarded with the big crystal ball. The South Tyroleans confirmed this winter that this was no coincidence. After ten podium places (two wins) in twelve World Cups, the big ball was awarded for the second time. “We didn’t want to give up the yellow jersey anymore.” Andrea Voetter “Almost unbelievable, overall victory again. When we won the yellow jersey this year, we said to ourselves that we wouldn’t give it away anymore,” jokes Andrea. The woman from Völs spends a lot of time in Meransen (with her life partner Kevin Fiwickeler, himself a former top tobogganer). At the beginning of the past season, there was no test comparison because, as the only women's duo in the Italian squad, the training times of the men's doubles could not provide any meaningful information.

Oberhofer grew up as a child in Meransen and now lives in Rodengo. Her biggest fan is her partner Christian Stampfl, although Marion makes it clear with humor. “I always tell him to be my friend and not my fan.”

Meticulous workers Both sledders are characterized by hard work and determination. Since the competition never sleeps, things and processes need to be improved. But in which areas do Vötter/Oberhofer want to apply the levers? “We have to improve at the start. It's all about harmonizing perfectly in milliseconds. Patrick Rastner will teach us some new things in this regard,” says Oberhofer.

Vötter and Oberhofer in action. © Photo Hermann Sobe / Hermann Sobe

“We're in good shape athletically, but some of us are still a little faster at the start. We want to improve that and also in the ice channel, i.e. when it comes to posture on the toboggan, we still have leeway,” explains Vötter. She turns 3 on April 29rd, her birthday is the same day as Dorothea Wierer.

Biathlon queen Wierer has an Olympic medal ahead of her. 2026 will be the last Winter Games for Vötter and you can imagine what her dream goal will be. There is no secret to success, thanks to their consistency at the highest level, the crystal ball went again to Oberhofer/Vötter.

Appointment marathon according to the season The next few days and weeks will (finally) be without a sled or an ice track. “We have sponsorship appointments, some receptions and celebrations or interviews,” says Oberhofer. It is also important to find a harmonious transition to quieter days with alternative sports. “It's important to me to stay fit. I can switch off easily while ski touring, skiing or playing tennis,” reports Vötter. Oberhofer sees it similarly: “Climbing, skiing and cross-country skiing currently represent a nice change,” says Oberhofer. “In competitive sport you need absolute will. We'll be leveraging different things. Patrick Rastner will help us use a slightly different technique at the start.” Marion Oberhofer There should also be time for a wellness holiday in South Tyrol and the trainers will soon provide a detailed analysis and an outlook for the new winter. The competition from Germany, Austria, Latvia and the USA also has big plans.

It's not that far until the Olympic Games. In terms of athletics and the start process (in Meransen), the conditions in South Tyrol are ideal. The training rides on the track in Cortina (in the hope that it will be finished in time) will probably only take place in the 2025/26 season.

Perseverance and always have a clear goal in mind Vötter/Oberhofer have shown that they can go all out. They relied on tobogganing as children and teenagers and achieved their goals with perseverance. The 2024 sprint world champions have been able to prove in the last few months that the first large crystal ball at the women's doubles premiere in the World Cup was not beginner's luck.

There will definitely be a breath of fresh air in the South Tyrolean team for Vötter/Oberhofer. Nadia Falkensteiner (21/Bruneck) and tobogganing partner Annalena Huber (turns 10 on March 20th/also Bruneck) will attack again in the future after this year's injury break. It is very likely that two South Tyrolean women's pairs will be chasing medals at the 2026 Winter Games. Vötter/Oberhofer will certainly not rest on their laurels. And in order not to get too nervous, “calming music and a piece of chocolate help,” reveals Oberhofer.

Andrea Vötter in a short portrait Born on the: 3 April 1995 Zodiac sign: Aries Place of birth: Brixens Size: 1,68 m Location: Völs/Meransen Sports group: Heer World Cup debut: 2012 Greatest successes: 2x won the overall World Cup with Marion Oberhofer, 6 World Cup victories, sprint world champion in doubles in 2024, team European champion in 2019 Hobbies: Meeting friends, wellness, ski touring, skiing and tennis

Marion Oberhofer in a short portrait Born on the: 14 December 2000 Zodiac sign: Sagittarius Place of birth: San Candid Size: 1,60 m Location: Rodengo Sports group: Heer World Cup debut: 2017 Greatest successes: 2x won the overall World Cup with Andrea Vötter, 6 World Cup victories, sprint world champion 2024, European Championship gold in the doubles, European Championship silver 2024 (both with Vötter) 2023 Hobbies: Skiing, cross-country skiing, climbing, listening to music.

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“Almost unbelievable”: A toboggan duo on the road to success

Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer won the overall World Cup in the doubles for the second time last weekend. The two high-flyers were extremely happy about their recent success.

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