Felix Loch

Felix Loch

Loch in 2023
Personal information
Born	(1989-07-24) 24 July 1989 (age 35)[1] Sonneberg,[1] East Germany
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Website	FelixLoch.de
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Luge
Event	Singles
Club	RC Berchtesgaden
Turned pro	2006[1]
Coached by	Norbert Loch Patric Leitner Georg Hackl[2]
Achievements and titles
Personal best	153.98 km/h (95.68 mph)
Medal record Men's luge Representing  Germany Olympic Games 2010 Vancouver Singles 2014 Sochi Singles 2014 Sochi Mixed team World Championships 2008 Oberhof Singles 2008 Oberhof Mixed team 2009 Lake Placid Singles 2009 Lake Placid Mixed team 2012 Altenberg Singles 2012 Altenberg Mixed team 2013 Whistler Singles 2013 Whistler Mixed team 2015 Sigulda Mixed team 2016 Königssee Singles 2016 Königssee Sprint 2016 Königssee Mixed team 2019 Winterberg Singles 2023 Oberhof Sprint 2011 Cesana Singles 2015 Sigulda Singles 2019 Winterberg Sprint 2021 Königssee Singles 2021 Königssee Mixed team 2019 Winterberg Team relay 2024 Alternberg Singles European Championships 2013 Oberhof Singles 2013 Oberhof Mixed team 2015 Sochi Mixed team 2016 Altenberg Singles 2016 Altenberg Mixed team 2021 Sigulda Singles 2018 Sigulda Singles 2018 Sigulda Mixed team 2023 Sigulda Singles 2012 Paramonovo Singles 2015 Sochi Singles 2021 Sigulda Mixed team World Junior Championships 2006 Altenberg Singles 2006 Altenberg Mixed team 2007 Cesana Singles 2007 Cesana Mixed team 2008 Lake Placid Singles

Felix Loch (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːlɪks ˈlɔx]; born 24 July 1989) is a German luger and Olympic champion. He has been competing since 1995 and on the German national team since 2006. He has won fourteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with twelve golds (Men's singles: 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016; Men's sprint 2016: Mixed team event: 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) and two silvers (Men's singles: 2011, 2015). Loch's men's singles win in 2008 made him the youngest world champion ever at 18 years old. He is the youngest Olympic Gold Medalist in men's luge history.^[3] As of 2022, Loch is a triple Olympic gold medalist.

Career

At the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy, he finished sixth in the men's singles event.

Previously he had won the 2006 Junior World Championship held in Altenberg, Germany. Loch is a member of the Club RC Berchtesgaden and currently lives at Schönau am Königssee though he was born in Sonneberg.

During International Training Week at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia on 7–15 November 2008, Loch injured his shoulder during training. Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland (BSD) Sport Director Thomas Schwab stated that Loch would compete at the opening Luge World Cup event at Igls, Austria on 29–30 November 2008 to which Loch did.^[4]

On 21 February 2009, during the 2008-09 Luge World Cup season finale at Whistler Sliding Centre, Felix Loch recorded the fastest registered speed in luge, 153.98 km/h (95.68 mph).^[5]

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Loch again won the gold medal in men's Singles, marking his second consecutive Olympic victory,^[6] and he was also in the German team which won gold in the inaugural team relay.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, in the men's singles competition, Loch was a heavy favorite and indeed was leading the field after three runs, but in the last run made a mistake that cost him a medal. He ended in the fifth position.^[7]

Luge results

Olympic Games

Event	Age	Singles	Team relay
2010 Vancouver	20	Gold	—
2014 Sochi	24	Gold	Gold
2018 Pyeongchang	28	5th	—
2022 Beijing	32	4th	—

World Championships

• 21 medals – (14 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze)

Year	Age	Singles	Sprint	Team relay
2008 Oberhof	19	Gold	—	Gold
2009 Lake Placid	20	Gold	—	Gold
2011 Cesena	22	Silver	—	—
2012 Altenberg	23	Gold	—	Gold
2013 Whistler	24	Gold	—	Gold
2015 Sigulda	26	Silver	—	Gold
2016 Königssee	27	Gold	Gold	Gold
2017 Innsbruck	28	6th	10th	—
2019 Winterberg	30	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2020 Sochi	31	9th	13th	—
2021 Königssee	32	Silver	4th	Silver
2023 Oberhof	33	4th	Gold	—
2024 Altenberg	34	Bronze	4th	—

World Cup

Season		Singles										Sprint					Team relay							Points	Overall	Singles	Sprint
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		1	2	3	4		1	2	3	4	5	6
2006–07		–	10	18	–	6	9	7	–	24		—	—	—	—		–	–	–	–	—	—		211	16th	—	—
2007–08		5	10	8	12	4	–	7	15	—		—	—	—	—		3	–	–	–	—	—		297	6th	—	—
2008–09		–	–	–	3	2	2	2	2	3		—	—	—	—		–	–	–	–	–	—		480	4th	—	—
2009–10		4	4	1	3	9	17	7	2	—		—	—	—	—		–	1	1	–	–	—		484	3rd	—	—
2010–11		1	4	3	4	5	1	1	2	14		—	—	—	—		–	–	–	1	1	–		658	2nd	—	—
2011–12		1	1	2	1	1	1	4	1	3		—	—	—	—		–	1	2	1	1	3		815	1st	—	—
2012–13		1	2	1	3	4	1	2	—	6		—	—	—	—		—	1	1	—	—	—		650	1st	—	—
2013–14		3	1	4	1	5	1	1	1	–		—	—	—	—		1	–	1	1	1	3		685	1st	—	—
2014–15		1	2	6	1	1	1	8	1	3		1	14	1	—		1	1	1	1	1	1		975	2nd	—	—
2015–16		DSQ	6	3	1	1	1	1	1	6		3	1	1	—		–	–	1	2	1	–		940	1st
2016–17		4	6	6	5	4	4	1	DNS	2		1	4	4	—		7	–	2	1	–	1		748	2nd
2017–18		3	2	1	1	7	11	1	5	2		1	10	8	3		1	1	1	–	1	2		923	1st		—
2018–19		6	2	4	5	10	9	1	7	8		3	8	4	—		2	1	–	3	–	2		685	3rd
2019–20		6	12	2	3	15	27	5	–	4		13	4	–	—		3	2	4	–	–	1		482	7th
2020–21		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	3		1	5	3	—		1	4	1	2	3	CNX		1095	1st	1st	1st
2021–22		2	2	6	4	–	6	2	3	4		7	–	1	—		–	–	–	–	–	–		691	3rd	3rd	6th
2022–23		15	1	2	4	2	3	3	2	7		–	3	3	—		1	2	–	–	–	–		767	2nd	1st	6th

References

1. "Felix Loch". FIL-Luge.org. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
2. Harder, Wolfgang (May 2014). "All four gold medals go to the 'Sunshine Training Group'" (PDF). FIL Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 51. Berchtesgaden, Germany: International Luge Federation. p. 9. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
3. "German Felix Loch easily wins men's luge gold". Houston Chronicle. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
4. 20 November 2008 FIL-Luge.org article on Loch's shoulder injury during International Training Week at the Whistler Sliding Centre – accessed 21 November 2008.
5. David Möller realizes his first victory of the season. at the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (22 February 2009 article accessed 22 February 2009.)
6. "Felix Loch of Germany captures gold in luge again". USA Today. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
7. "Winter Olympics: David Gleirscher claims Austria's first luge gold in 50 years after Felix Loch error". BBC. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

External links

• Felix Loch at FIL
• Felix Loch at Olympics.com
• Felix Loch at Olympedia
• Felix Loch at the German Olympic Sports Confederation (in German)