Luge at the Winter Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Luge at the Winter Olympics |
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| Governing body | FIL |
| Events | 4 (men: 1; women: 1; mixed: 2) |
| Games | |
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Luge is an exciting winter sport where athletes slide down an icy track on a small sled. They lie on their backs, feet first, and race against the clock. The goal is to finish the course as fast as possible. Gravity helps the sled go super fast!
Luge became an official sport at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Since then, it has been a thrilling part of the Games. There are events for men, women, and teams. Lugers from Germany have been incredibly successful, winning many medals over the years.
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Luge at the Olympics: A Quick Look
Luge first appeared at the Winter Olympics in 1964. Since then, it has been a regular event. Athletes compete to see who can slide down the icy track the fastest.
Here's a summary of the luge events at the Olympics:
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Luge Events at the Olympics
When luge first joined the Olympics in 1964, there were three main events:
- Men's singles: One male athlete races alone.
- Women's singles: One female athlete races alone.
- Doubles: Two athletes ride on one sled. This event has mostly been for men.
In 2014, a new event was added:
- Team relay: This is a mixed event where men's singles, women's singles, and doubles teams race one after another. They hit a touch pad at the end of their run to open the gate for the next teammate.
For the 2026 Winter Olympics, a new women's doubles event is planned. This will bring the total number of luge events to five.
Top Luge Athletes
Some luge athletes have won many medals at the Olympics. Here are a few of the best:
Here are some of the athletes who have won at least two gold medals or three medals in total:
| Athlete | NOC | Event | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natalie Geisenberger |  Germany (GER) |
Women's singles Team relay |
2010–2022 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Tobias Arlt | Germany (GER) |
Doubles Team relay |
2014–2022 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Tobias Wendl | Germany (GER) |
Doubles Team relay |
2014–2022 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Armin Zöggeler |  Italy (ITA) |
Men's singles | 1994–2014 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Georg Hackl | West Germany (FRG) Germany (GER) |
Men's singles | 1988–2006 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Jan Behrendt |  East Germany (GDR) Germany (GER) |
Doubles | 1988–1998 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Stefan Krauße | East Germany (GDR) Germany (GER) |
Doubles | 1988–1998 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Klaus Bonsack |  United Team of Germany (EUA) East Germany (GDR) |
Men's singles Doubles |
1964–1972 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Felix Loch | Germany (GER) |
Men's singles Team relay |
2010–2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Thomas Köhler | United Team of Germany (EUA) East Germany (GDR) |
Men's singles Doubles |
1964–1968 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Paul Hildgartner | Italy (ITA) |
Men's singles Doubles |
1972–1988 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Andreas Linger |  Austria (AUT) |
Doubles | 2006–2014 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wolfgang Linger | Austria (AUT) |
Doubles | 2006–2014 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Hans Rinn | East Germany (GDR) |
Men's singles Doubles |
1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Silke Kraushaar | Germany (GER) |
Women's singles | 1998–2006 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Tatjana Hüfner | Germany (GER) |
Women's singles | 2006–2014 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Albert Demchenko |  Russia (RUS) |
Men's singles Team relay |
1994–2014 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Markus Prock | Austria (AUT) |
Men's singles | 1984–2002 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Andris Šics |  Latvia (LAT) |
Doubles Team relay |
2006–2014 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Juris Šics | Latvia (LAT) |
Doubles Team relay |
2006–2014 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Norbert Hahn | East Germany (GDR) |
Doubles | 1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Steffi Martin | East Germany (GDR) |
Women's singles | 1984–1988 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sylke Otto | Germany (GER) |
Women's singles | 1992 2002–2006 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Medal Count by Country
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in luge at the Winter Olympics, up to the 2022 Games.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany (GER) |
22 | 12 | 9 | 43 |
| 2 | East Germany (GDR) |
13 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| 3 | Italy (ITA) |
7 | 4 | 7 | 18 |
| 4 | Austria (AUT) |
6 | 10 | 9 | 25 |
| 5 | United Team of Germany (EUA) |
2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | West Germany (FRG) |
1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 7 |  Soviet Union (URS) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 |  United States (USA) |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | Russia (RUS) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 |  Canada (CAN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 |  Republic of China (ROC) (ROC) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 52 | 50 | 51 | 153 | |
Note: In the 1972 doubles competition, two gold medals were awarded.
See also
In Spanish: Luge en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- List of Olympic venues in luge
- List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
- Luge at the Youth Olympic Games
