Luge

A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the pod.

Austrian Manuel Pfister reached a top speed of 154 km/h (96 mph) on a track in Whistler, Canada, prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

[5] The sport of luge, like the skeleton and the bobsleigh, originated in the health-spa town of St Moritz, Switzerland, in the mid-to-late 19th century, through the endeavours of hotel entrepreneur Caspar Badrutt.

His more adventurous English guests began adapting delivery boys' sleds for recreation, which led to collisions with pedestrians as they sped down the lanes and alleys of the village.

The first artificial American track was completed in that year for use in the 1980 XIII Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, New York.

Caitlin Nash and Natalie Corless, both of Canada, became the first all-female team to compete in a Senior World Cup doubles race in luge in 2019.

[4] The athletes ride in a flat, aerodynamic position on the sled, keeping their heads low to minimize air resistance.

It takes a precise mix of shifting body weight, applying pressure with calves and rolling the shoulders.

A successful luger maintains complete concentration and relaxation on the sled while travelling at high speeds.

Lugers race at speeds averaging 120–145 km/h (75–90 mph) around high banked curves while experiencing a centripetal acceleration of up to 5g.

Athletes use a steering rein, put out their hands and use their legs in order to drive around the tight corners.

Most of the tracks are situated in Austria and Italy, with others in Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, France, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

[4] Rules and procedures for races are very precise: The sport of luge requires an athlete to balance mental and physical fitness.

Since lugers have very little protection other than a visor and helmet, they must be able to endure the physical pounding administered by the track when mistakes are made.

Though most injuries involve bumps, bruises, broken bones and concussions, fatalities do occasionally occur.

Doubles luge, Myroslav and Ivan Lenko at the 2022 Luge World Cup trainings
Luge sled, with steel runners removed
A young luger on the start ramp at the Utah Olympic track
German luger Thomas Köhler in 1964
Matt Mortensen (top) and Preston Griffall (bottom) are clocked at 80 miles per hour on a run at Sanki Sliding Centre in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
Curves 11 and 12 on the Utah Olympic track near Park City, Utah
Natural lugers on double sled
Luge "natural track racing sled" with steering rope and runners
A man with a goatee wears a red-white-and-yellow tight jumpsuit, with a red-and-white vest over it, and a red helmet with a raised full-faced visor. He shows a concentrated look. Partially hidden behind him is another man, wearing a black tracksuit jacket and winter cap.
Georg Hackl of Germany is the most successful Olympic luger, having won five medals, of which three are gold medals attained in three consecutive Olympics.
A man with a soul patch wears a red-and-white tight jumpsuit, with a red-and-white vest over it, and a metallic silver helmet with a raised full-faced visor. He is sat on the ground with his arms resting upon his legs.
Armin Zöggeler is an Italian luger, and is the first —and so far the only—athlete to have won a medal in six consecutive Olympics.
Three smiling men stand side-by-side in front of a crowd of photographers. Each holds up a flower bouquet with their right arm, and wears the same tight black-and-white jumpsuit with some yellow and red stripes. The man on the left wears a white cap, while the one in the middle wears a red headband.
German lugers Felix Loch ( center ) and David Möller (left) occupied the first and second places, respectively, of the men's singles at the 2010 Winter Olympics .
Spectators at the Whistler Sliding Centre watching lugers pass the point on the track where Kumaritashvili crashed and died