BERLIN, Feb. 28 -- Germany made a clean sweep of podium finish in the men's skeleton at the IBSF World Championships in Altenberg, Germany on Friday.

Over the space of two days and four runs, Christopher Grotheer, Alexander Gassner and Axel Jungk delivered an exceptionally tense race at the track. The order of the medal winners eventually came down to just five hundredths of a second, about 15 centimeter.

The World Championship title went to the surprise winner Grotheer for the first time in his career. The 2019 team world champion, who did not compete in this season's World Cup, joined the World Championship team right at the last second after his teammate Felix Keisinger secured his own place in the competition by winning the junior World Championships.

In the final and deciding heat, Grotheer managed to scrape back a whole two hundredths of a second as he passed the finish line.

"The last run wasn't good. I thought I hadn't done enough. But I really pushed hard again down at the bottom. I already noticed ahead of the third run that I was more nervous today than I was on the first day. I can't believe I pulled it off," said Grotheer, who became the first German winner since Andy Bohme in 2000.

Second place went to his teammate Jungk, who therefore won World Championship silver for the second time in his career.

Jungk had the best time in three of the four heats but it was his second run, in which he was third fastest, that ultimately cost the local hero the title.

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