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Luge at the Winter Olympics facts for kids

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Luge at the Winter Olympics
Luge pictogram.svg
Governing body FIL
Events 4 (men: 1; women: 1; mixed: 2)
Games
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1998
  • 2002
  • 2006
  • 2010
  • 2014
  • 2018
  • Medalists

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. 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.

Events

Event 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 94 98 02 06 10 14 18 22 26 Year
Men's singles • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17
Men’s doubles • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17
Women's singles • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17
Women's doubles • 1
Team relay • • • • 4
Total events 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5

Medal leaders

2017-02-05 Natalie Geisenberger by Sandro Halank–5
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).
Rodel-Weltcup-2005-Oberhof-Zoeggeler cropped
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
Geisenberger, NatalieNatalie Geisenberger  Germany (GER) Women's singles
Team relay		 2010–2022 6 0 1 7
Arlt, TobiasTobias Arlt  Germany (GER) Doubles
Team relay		 2014–2022 6 0 0 6
Wendl, TobiasTobias Wendl  Germany (GER) Doubles
Team relay		 2014–2022 6 0 0 6
Zöggeler, ArminArmin Zöggeler  Italy (ITA) Men's singles 1994–2014 2 1 3 6
Hackl, GeorgGeorg Hackl  West Germany (FRG)
 Germany (GER)		 Men's singles 1988–2006 3 2 0 5
Behrendt, JanJan Behrendt  East Germany (GDR)
 Germany (GER)		 Doubles 1988–1998 2 1 1 4
Krauße, StefanStefan Krauße  East Germany (GDR)
 Germany (GER)		 Doubles 1988–1998 2 1 1 4
Bonsack, KlausKlaus Bonsack  United Team of Germany (EUA)
 East Germany (GDR)		 Men's singles
Doubles		 1964–1972 1 1 2 4
Loch, FelixFelix Loch  Germany (GER) Men's singles
Team relay		 2010–2014 3 0 0 3
Köhler, ThomasThomas Köhler  United Team of Germany (EUA)
 East Germany (GDR)		 Men's singles
Doubles		 1964–1968 2 1 0 3
Hildgartner, PaulPaul Hildgartner  Italy (ITA) Men's singles
Doubles		 1972–1988 2 1 0 3
Linger, AndreasAndreas Linger  Austria (AUT) Doubles 2006–2014 2 1 0 3
Linger, WolfgangWolfgang Linger  Austria (AUT) Doubles 2006–2014 2 1 0 3
Rinn, HansHans Rinn  East Germany (GDR) Men's singles
Doubles		 1976–1980 2 0 1 3
Kraushaar, SilkeSilke Kraushaar  Germany (GER) Women's singles 1998–2006 1 1 1 3
Hüfner, TatjanaTatjana Hüfner  Germany (GER) Women's singles 2006–2014 1 1 1 3
Demchenko, AlbertAlbert Demchenko  Russia (RUS) Men's singles
Team relay		 1994–2014 0 3 0 3
Prock, MarkusMarkus Prock  Austria (AUT) Men's singles 1984–2002 0 2 1 3
Šics, AndrisAndris Šics  Latvia (LAT) Doubles
Team relay		 2006–2014 0 1 2 3
Šics, JurisJuris Šics  Latvia (LAT) Doubles
Team relay		 2006–2014 0 1 2 3
Hahn, NorbertNorbert Hahn  East Germany (GDR) Doubles 1976–1980 2 0 0 2
Martin, SteffiSteffi Martin  East Germany (GDR) Women's singles 1984–1988 2 0 0 2
Otto, SylkeSylke Otto  Germany (GER) Women's singles 1992
2002–2006		 2 0 0 2

Medal table

Sources (after the 2022 Winter Olympics):
Accurate as of 2022 Winter Olympics.

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) 0 0 1 1
Totals (12 entries) 52 50 51 153

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

Number of lugers by nation

Nation 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 94 98 02 06 10 14 18 Years
 Argentina (ARG)                 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 7
 Australia (AUS)                 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
 Austria (AUT)                 9 9 8 7 10 7 7 7 8 8 10 10 9 10 10 15
 Bermuda (BER)                 1 1 1 1 4
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)                 2 1 2
 Brazil (BRA)                 2 2
 Bulgaria (BUL)                 3 3 2 1 2 1 1 7
 Canada (CAN)                 1 7 4 8 4 2 9 6 2 2 7 10 10 8 8 15
 Chinese Taipei (TPE)                 2 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 9
 Croatia (CRO)                 1 1
 Czech Republic (CZE)                 2 4 4 4 6 5
 Czechoslovakia (TCH)                 6 6 4 3 3 2 4 7
 East Germany (GDR)                 8 9 9 9 10 10 6
 Estonia (EST)                 1 2 2
 France (FRA)                 5 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 8
 Georgia (GEO)                 2 2 1 3
 Germany (GER)                 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8
 Great Britain (GBR)                 2 2 6 4 7 4 4 2 1 1 2 1 2 13
 Greece (GRE)                 2 1 2
 India (IND)                 1 1 1 1 1 5
 Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA)                 1 1
 Italy (ITA)                 7 9 9 8 9 9 9 8 8 10 10 9 8 10 9 15
 Japan (JPN)                 7 5 2 4 5 3 3 6 4 5 3 1 12
 Kazakhstan (KAZ)                 1 1 2
 Latvia (LAT)                 6 8 10 8 8 10 9 10 8
 Liechtenstein (LIE)                 3 3 1 3 2 1 1 1 8
 Moldova (MDA)                 1 1 1 1 4
 Netherlands Antilles (AHO)                 1 1
 New Zealand (NZL)                 1 1 2
 Norway (NOR)                 4 2 3 7 2 2 3 3 8
 Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR)                 8 1
 Philippines (PHI)                 1 1
 Poland (POL)                 8 9 8 8 2 2 2 3 2 5 6 11
 Puerto Rico (PUR)                 1 2 2
 Romania (ROU)                 4 3 1 3 4 3 4 4 8 2 5 11
 Russia (RUS)                 8 7 10 10 10 10 6
 Slovakia (SVK)                 2 1 4 6 5 6 5 7
 Slovenia (SLO)                 1 1 1 3
 South Korea (KOR)                 3 3 1 1 4 5 6
 Soviet Union (URS)                 7 6 7 10 10 5
 Spain (ESP)                 4 1 1 3
 Sweden (SWE)                 5 5 4 2 2 3 5 3 2 9
 Switzerland (SUI)                 9 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 9
 Tonga (TGA)                 1 1
 Ukraine (UKR)                 3 6 4 6 6 6 6 7
 Unified Team (EUN)                 10 1
 United Team of Germany (EUA)                 9 1
 United States (USA)                 9 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 15
 Venezuela (VEN)                 1 4 1 3
 Virgin Islands (ISV)                 1 2 2 1 2 5
 West Germany (FRG)                 8 10 8 7 8 7 6
 Yugoslavia (YUG)                 3 2 2
Nations - - - - - - - - 12 14 13 16 14 17 22 22 25 24 26 24 24 24 24
Lugers - - - - - - - - 68 85 83 94 80 81 90 89 92 93 110 108 110 108 110
Year 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 94 98 02 06 10 14 18

See also

Kids robot.svg 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
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