By Mitch Phillips
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Most countries arrive at the Olympics dreaming of, maybe hoping for, medals but when it comes to Germany and luge the question is more about which of their athletes will take gold and who will have to settle for a lower place on the podium.
Since the sport joined the Olympic programme in 1964 Germany, in various guises, have taken a remarkable 38 of the 52 available luge golds, including 11 of the last 12.
Their overall medal tally is 87 medals (38 gold, 26 silver and 23 bronze), dwarfing the next-best Italy on 18 (seven, four, seven) and Austria with 25 (six, 10, nine).
On the women’s side they have won an astonishing 16 of the last 21 medals, including all seven golds. Germany have also won all three team relays since that event was added in 2014.
Four years ago in Beijing they had a clean sweep of four golds – along with two silvers – and now have the chance to bag even more medals with the addition of the women’s doubles.
Former Olympic and multiple world champion Patric Leitner has transferred his skills to leading the next generation and now, as Germany head coach, he has high expectations.
“This is the seventh Olympic Games I’ve been lucky enough to experience and it’s always something very special,” he said.
“We are absolute medal contenders in every discipline.
“The team is made up of experienced people who have already won Olympic medals, World Championship medals and World Cups. It’s important to stay calm, to perform well on the big day, and then everything will turn out well.”
ABSOLUTE BANKER
Their absolute banker is probably the men’s doubles, where Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have won the last three Olympic golds and come to Cortina as world leaders gunning for a fourth.
Felix Loch won the men’s singles in 2010 and 2014 and, though he just missed the podium at the last two Games, he too is in hot form as the World Cup leader – albeit by one point from Austria’s Jonas Mueller.
Things are also tight in the women’s singles, where Austrian Lisa Schulte leads German duo Julia Taubitz and Merle Fraebel, with another Austrian, Hannah Prock, also in the mix.
It looks a wide-open competition to succeed Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger, who retired after winning the last three golds.
She also won gold in the three team relays that have been contested, and Germany should expect to make that four, even without her.
Only in the inaugural women’s doubles will Germany not start as favourites. They have strong contenders but have been chasing double world champions Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp all season.
Partly due to its feet-first aerodynamics, luge is the fastest sport in the Winter Olympics, with athletes reaching speeds above 90 mph (145kph) and steering with only the most minor movement of their bodies.
It is the first of the three sliding sports on the programme in Cortina, running from February 7-12 with the first medals coming in the men’s singles on Sunday.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
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