Luge at the Olympics

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Luge at the Winter Olympics
IOC CodeLUG
Governing bodyFIL
Events4 (men: 1; women: 1; mixed: 2)
Winter Olympics
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952

Luge is a winter sport featured at the Winter Olympic Games where a competitor or two-person team rides a flat sled while lying supine (face up) and feet first. The sport is usually contested on a specially designed ice track that allows gravity to increase the sled's speed. The winner normally completes the route with the fastest overall time. It was first contested at the 1964 Winter Olympics, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically considered an open event since 1994, but only men have competed in it.[1][2][3] German lugers (competing under the IOC country codes of EUA, GDR, FRG and GER at different times since 1964) have dominated the competition, winning 87 medals of 153 possible.

Summary

Games Year Events Best Nation
18
919643 United Team of Germany (1)
1019683 East Germany (1)
1119723 East Germany (2)
1219763 East Germany (3)
1319803 East Germany (4)
1419843 East Germany (5)
1519883 East Germany (6)
1619923 Germany (1)
Games Year Events Best Nation
1719943 Italy (1)
1819983 Germany (2)
1920023 Germany (3)
2020063 Germany (4)
2120103 Germany (5)
2220144 Germany (6)
2320184 Germany (7)
2420224 Germany (8)
2520265 Germany (9)

Events

Event24283236485256606468727680848892949802061014182226Year
Men's singles17
Men's doubles17
Women's singles17
Women's doubles1
Team relay4
Total events33333333333334445

Medal leaders

Natalie Geisenberger of Germany is the most successful Olympic luger, having won six gold medals and a bronze attained in four consecutive Olympics (three golds and a bronze in singles, and 3 golds in team relay).
A man with a soul patch wears a red-and-white tight jumpsuit, with a red-and-white vest over it, and a metallic silver helmet with a raised full-faced visor. He is sat on the ground with his arms resting upon his legs.
Armin Zöggeler is the only athlete to have won one medal in a single individual event in six Olympics (furthermore consecutive).

Athletes who won at least two gold medals or three medals in total are listed below.

Athlete NOC Event Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
Natalie Geisenberger  Germany Women's singles
Team relay
2010–2022 6017
Tobias Arlt  Germany Doubles
Team relay
2014–2022 6006
Tobias Wendl  Germany Doubles
Team relay
2014–2022 6006
Armin Zöggeler  Italy Men's singles 1994–2014 2136
Georg Hackl  West Germany
 Germany
Men's singles 1988–2006 3205
Jan Behrendt  East Germany
 Germany
Doubles 1988–1998 2114
Stefan Krauße  East Germany
 Germany
Doubles 1988–1998 2114
Klaus Bonsack  United Team of Germany
 East Germany
Men's singles
Doubles
1964–1972 1124
Felix Loch  Germany Men's singles
Team relay
2010–2014 3003
Thomas Köhler  United Team of Germany
 East Germany
Men's singles
Doubles
1964–1968 2103
Paul Hildgartner  Italy Men's singles
Doubles
1972–1988 2103
Andreas Linger  Austria Doubles 2006–2014 2103
Wolfgang Linger  Austria Doubles 2006–2014 2103
Hans Rinn  East Germany Men's singles
Doubles
1976–1980 2013
Silke Kraushaar  Germany Women's singles 1998–2006 1113
Tatjana Hüfner  Germany Women's singles 2006–2014 1113
Albert Demchenko  Russia Men's singles
Team relay
1994–2014 0303
Markus Prock  Austria Men's singles 1984–2002 0213
Andris Šics  Latvia Doubles
Team relay
2006–2014 0123
Juris Šics  Latvia Doubles
Team relay
2006–2014 0123
Norbert Hahn  East Germany Doubles 1976–1980 2002
Steffi Martin  East Germany Women's singles 1984–1988 2002
Sylke Otto  Germany Women's singles 1992
2002–2006
2002

Medal table

Sources (after the 2022 Winter Olympics):[4]
Accurate as of 2026 Winter Olympics.

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Germany25131048
2 East Germany138829
3 Italy94922
4 Austria6131029
5 United Team of Germany2215
6 West Germany14510
7 Soviet Union1236
8 United States0347
9 Russia0303
10 Latvia0246
11 Canada0112
12 ROC0011
Totals (12 entries)575556168

Note: two gold medals handed in the 1972 doubles competition.

Number of lugers by nation

Nation24283236485256606468727680848892949802061014182226Years
 Argentina         1112111119
 Australia         111111119
 Austria         99871077788101091010101217
 Bermuda         11114
 Bosnia and Herzegovina         2113
 Brazil         21
 Bulgaria         332121118
 Canada         174842962271010886617
 China         462
 Chinese Taipei         232221111110
 Croatia         11
 Czech Republic         24446417
 Czechoslovakia         66433247
 East Germany         899910106
 Estonia         122
 France         511133118
 Georgia         22114
 Germany         1010101010101010101210
 Great Britain         2264744211212114
 Greece         212
 India         111115
 Independent Olympic Athletes         11
 Ireland         11
 Italy         79989998810109810981217
 Japan         7524533645311114
 Kazakhstan         112
 Latvia         6810881091010910
 Liechtenstein         331321118
 Moldova         111115
 Netherlands Antilles         11
 New Zealand         112
 Norway         423722338
 Olympic Athletes from Russia         81
 Philippines         11
 Poland         898822232564613
 Puerto Rico         122
 ROC         101
 Romania         431343448254713
 Russia         87101010106
 Slovakia         2146565559
 Slovenia         1113
 South Korea         331145518
 Soviet Union         76710105
 Spain         4113
 Sweden         5542235322211
 Switzerland         9211222211111
 Tonga         11
 Ukraine         3646666699
 Unified Team         101
 United Team of Germany         91
 United States         981091091091010101010101081117
 Venezuela         1413
 Virgin Islands         122125
 West Germany         81087876
 Yugoslavia         322
Nations--------1214131614172222252426242424242619
Lugers--------68858394808190899293110108110108110106106
Year 24283236485256606468727680848892949802061014182226

See also

References

Specific
  1. "Luge". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  2. "Women & the Winter Olympics". topend sports. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  3. "Qualification Systems for XXIII Olympic Winter Games, PyeongChang" (PDF). fil-luge.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-14. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  4. "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 2022-02-20.

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