King Felix: Loch wins sixth men’s luge world title

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:07 p.m. ET

WINTERBERG, Germany (AP) — Felix Loch is the world men's luge champion for the record-tying sixth time, after the German great edged Reinhard Egger of Austria by one-tenth of a second on Sunday for this year's title.

Loch tied the record held by Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, who won world championships in 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2011. Loch's previous world titles came in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2016.

Semen Pavlichenko, the 2015 world champion from Russia, took the bronze. He and Egger hoisted Loch onto their shoulders on the medal podium after the race.

Tucker West had the top U.S. finish in the men's race, placing ninth. Jonny Gustafson was 14th.

Russia won the team relay world championship later Sunday, with Austria second. Germany — with Loch, Natalie Geisenberger and the doubles team of Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, all of them world-title winners this weekend — finished a surprisingly low third.

But Germany easily finished atop the medal standings at the world championships, winning 12 of the possible 21 medals — five gold, five silver and two bronze. Austria won five medals, Russia won three and the U.S. one came with Emily Sweeney's bronze in the women's race on Saturday.