Andreas Linger facts for kids
.jpg) Linger in 2014 |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's luge | ||
Representing  Austria |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 2006 Turin | Men's doubles |
| Gold | 2010 Vancouver | Men's doubles |
| Silver | 2014 Sochi | Men's doubles |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2003 Sigulda | Men's doubles |
| Gold | 2011 Cesana | Men's doubles |
| Gold | 2012 Altenberg | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 2003 Sigulda | Mixed team |
| Bronze | 2013 Whistler | Men's doubles |
| World Cup Championships | ||
| Gold | 2011–12 | Men's doubles |
| Silver | 2010–11 | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 2004–05 | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 2007–08 | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 2008–09 | Men's doubles |
| European Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 Sigulda | Men's doubles |
| Silver | 2008 Cesana | Men's doubles |
| Silver | 2008 Cesana | Mixed team |
| Silver | 2010 Sigulda | Mixed team |
| Bronze | 2004 Oberhof | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 2004 Oberhof | Mixed team |
| Bronze | 2014 Sigulda | Men's doubles |
Andreas Linger (born May 31, 1981, in Hall in Tirol) is a famous former luge athlete from Austria. He competed internationally since the year 2000. Luge is a winter sport where athletes slide down an icy track on a small sled, feet first, at very high speeds.
Andreas and his younger brother, Wolfgang, started luge when they were very young. They did their first doubles run together when they were 14 years old. The Linger brothers became very successful as a doubles team.
Andreas has won many medals in luge. He earned five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including three gold medals in men's doubles (in 2003, 2011, and 2012). He also won two bronze medals. At the FIL European Luge Championships, he won seven medals, including one gold, three silvers, and three bronzes.
The Linger brothers were the overall champions in the Luge World Cup men's doubles in the 2011-12 season. They won 15 World Cup races in total. They are also two-time Olympic champions. They won gold medals in men's doubles at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and again at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Contents
Andreas Linger's Luge Journey
Starting in Luge
As a child, Andreas enjoyed many sports, like skiing and soccer. When he was ten, he tried an artificial luge track for the first time. This track in Igls had been used for Olympic events before. His brother Wolfgang was one of the few other kids at their local luge club who tried it. Even at a young age, Andreas didn't think luge was a very dangerous sport.
Five years later, when both brothers were 14, they were allowed to try doubles luge. While they sometimes competed alone or in mixed doubles, Andreas and Wolfgang found their biggest success as a doubles team.
Early Olympic Experience (2002)
The Linger brothers competed in their first Winter Olympics in 2002, held in Salt Lake City, Utah. They finished in 8th place. Their runs were very consistent, but they were still behind another Austrian team, Tobias and Markus Schiegl. However, by the next season, the Lingers became one of the best doubles luge teams in Austria. They even set a new course record at the Krombacher Challenge Cup.
Olympic Gold in 2006
Before the 2006 Olympics, Andreas's brother Wolfgang had a serious injury. He broke his ankle and a bone in his leg (the fibula) during an Olympic test run in 2005. Despite this, only a year later, the Linger brothers competed in the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy.
The doubles competition in Turin was challenging, with several teams crashing. But the Lingers managed to win the gold medal! They beat the defending champions from Germany, André Florschütz and Torsten Wustlich.
Defending Gold in 2010
The Linger brothers went into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as strong favorites. They were hoping to win their second gold medal.
There were some changes made to the luge track at the 2010 Games to make it safer. The start of the doubles competition was moved to a lower point on the track. This meant athletes had to quickly learn new strategies for their runs. After their first run, the Linger brothers had a very small lead over another team of brothers, Andris and Juris Šics from Latvia. But in their second run, they increased their lead and won the gold medal! Their victory was important because it stopped the German team from winning all three luge gold medals at those Games. Andreas told reporters that this victory felt even harder than their first gold in Turin.
Olympic Silver in 2014
The Linger brothers tried for a third gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. They finished second, winning a silver medal. The German team of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won gold with a large lead.
Even though they didn't get gold, their silver medal made them the second most successful doubles luge team in Olympic history. Only Stefan Krauße and Jan Behrendt had won more. Less than six weeks after the Sochi Olympics, the Linger brothers announced they were retiring from the sport.
Personal Life
Andreas Linger lives in Absam, Austria. He also serves in the Austrian army.
See also
In Spanish: Andreas Linger para niños
