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LUGE Back On Track - washingtonpost.com graphic
Germany’s
Georg Hackl made a mighty bid to become the first Winter Olympian to
win four consecutive gold medals in his event. It wasn’t enough. But
his silver medal made him the first Olympian, in a Winter or Summer
Games, to win five medals in the same individual event. Hackl’s
conqueror in the single was Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, by 0.329 of a
second. In women’s singles, Sylke Otto led a German sweep that
included Barbara Niedernhuber and Silke Kraushaar. In doubles,
Germany’s Patric-Fritz Leitner and Alexander Resch took gold ahead of
two American sleds: Brian Martin and Mark Grimmette, who finished
0.004 of a second ahead of Chris Thorpe and Clay Ives.
MEN
SINGLES |
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Armin Zoeggeler (ITA) |
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Georg Hackl (GER) |
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Markus Prock (AUT) |
WOMEN
SINGLES |
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Sylke Otto (GER) |
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Barbara Niedernhuber (GER) |
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Silke Kraushaar (GER) |
MIXED
DOUBLES |
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Patrio-Fritz Leitner & Alexander Resch (GER) |
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Brian Martin & Mark Grimmette (USA) |
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Chris Thorpe & Clay Ives (USA) |
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MEDAL TALLY |
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Total |
Germany |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
Italy |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
United States |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Austria |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Total |
3 |
3 |
3 |
9 |
VENUE & EVENTS
Utah Olympic
Park
Utah Olympic Park, 24 miles east of Salt
Lake and four miles north of Park City on State Route 224
The Utah Olympic Park is a 156-hectare/386-acre complex in the Upper East Canyon Creek watershed that includes a regulation Olympic bobsleigh and luge track and five regulation jumps. The venue will accommodate an audience of 21,000 for ski jumping and 15,600 for track events.
With the world's fastest luge track, the Utah Olympic Park holds plenty in store for athletes and spectators in 2002: speeds exceeding 90 mph; seventeen curves on 1316 m/4318 ft of track; average course times of 48 seconds. French for sled or toboggan, luge events demand the ultimate in precision as competitors lie on their backs, hurtling feet-first down the course with no braking device. In singles and doubles events, medals are won and lost by 1/1000th of a second.
Luge athletes become virtual "flying" machines by lying on their backs on open sleds, feet first, maintaining perfect form. They fly down the same ice-covered course, filled with hairpin turns, as the bobsledders. They steer with their calves. Speeds reach about 74 mph. Both men and women compete in singles and doubles. Unlike the bobsled, in which the crew is at least partially protected, the luger lies supine and with little protection except for a helmet. The race is started from a stationary position. Weight is crucial; lugers weighing less than the basic weights — 165 pounds for women, 198 pounds for men — can make up the weight, with some restrictions. The extra weights are attached to the luger, not the luge. Garments must meet a number of requirements and are limited to 8.8 pounds of maximum weight. Luge runners may not be heated and are checked before each run. Winners are determined by the aggregate times of four runs for singles and two runs for doubles.
