Although the Winter Olympics ended not that long ago, I find myself missing one of the most unappreciated sports: luge.
Luge is considered the fastest sport at the Winter Olympics as lugers hit speeds of over 130 kilometers per hour. For anyone unfamiliar, luge is a sport where athletes ride a sled, otherwise known as a luge, down an ice covered chute which is 1,730 meters. The lugers are required to lay in a supine position which means they are feet first with their head up.
The racing outfit includes a skin tight suit, specialized booties, an aerodynamic helmet with a face shield and even gloves with spikes on them to help push off the ice at the start. A luger depends not on a steering wheel, but instead the shifting of weight, flexing of calf muscles and use of shoulders for sliding.
A luge athlete can compete in a variety of events. For example, individuals can race in a singles competition which includes only one athlete racing down the chute in a sled. At this year’s Olympics, Max Langenhan from Germany won the gold in men’s singles and Julia Taubitz also from Germany captured the gold in women’s singles.
Besides singles, the doubles competition consists of two athletes of the same gender and country stacked on top of each other. The heavier of the pair goes on top of the lighter individual as they speed down the chute together.
This year’s Olympics marked the debut of the women’s double luge competition, even though the men’s double luge competition has existed since 1964
In addition to those two events is team relays, which was introduced in 2014. A country sends a women’s single, men’s double, men’s single and women’s double down the chute. After a leg of the race finishes they hit a pad to unlock the gate for the next person.
I believe luge is one of the hardest sports out there. A luger has to have incredible reflexes and balance to prevent colliding with the wall and even prevent falling off their sled. Additionally, they have to be incredibly fast as they sprint the start of their race in order to reach high speeds. Lastly, they have to be incredibly close with your teammate. In other sports teammates might shake hands or pat each other on the back, but in luge you and your teammate are laying on top of each other for the entire race while wearing skin tight athletic suits. I do not know how much closer teammates could be.
A lot of Winter Olympic sports are bizarre, and luge is one of them; however, these athletes train for years for the chance at a gold medal. Their talent deserves to be broadcast and highlighted at an event celebrating sports worldwide. So, for those who have now fallen in love with the sport of luge and regret not watching it at the Olympics there are plenty of other luge events over the course of the year. The next major one is the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, from Feb 27 to Mar 1, 2026. Let the luging begin.
