One Tyrolean is on a medal course at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang in the luge single-seater after two of four runs on Saturday. Surprisingly, it’s not Wolfgang Kindl, but David Gleirscher. The 23-year-old Olympic debutant is second behind double Olympic champion Felix Loch (GER) after a track record in the first run of 0.188 seconds.
Gleirscher, who even led sensationally after the first heat after the track record of 47.652, was able to reach the seventh time for the “silver” intermediate rank in the second round. Top favourite Loch is on course for his third Olympic gold medal en suite. The 28-year-old could draw level with his role model Georg Hackl in a single-seater. After winning gold in the newly introduced team competition in 2014, Loch would even outstrip him altogether.
Loch improved the new track record of Gleirscher (47,652) to 47,625 in the second run. Third place went to co-favorite Roman Repilow (RUS/+ 0.217), just one thousandth of a place ahead of US-American Chris Mazdzer. Double world champion Kindl could improve from eleventh to ninth place after missing his first run. Reinhard Egger is 15 for the time being.
On Sunday, Austria’s tobogganists have a good chance to continue their great Olympic series in the first competition. At the last seven Winter Games en suite, the ÖRV had proved to be a guarantee for the ÖOC.
Gleirscher, whose best result so far at a major event was a seventh place at the 2016 World Championships in Königsee, was delighted with his great Olympic debut:”I already felt at the start that it was a special race, you’re a little nervous. The first run worked out just fine for me, but I knew that this performance was also needed in the following three runs,”explained the father of a son,” I can’t be completely satisfied with the second run, there were small mistakes in curves 6 and 7.
But the balance after day one could only be positive:”It’s a great feeling to be there at the front, the first half is done, now I’m trying to stay with myself and to bring my performance tomorrow.”.
It is nervous for the surprise man, who had shown in Pyeongchang a year ago with track record that the Olympic ice channel is his favourite, but a completely new situation:”I’ve never driven four runs in my life” For him and everyone else it will be exciting on Sunday from 10:50 a. m. CET when the runs three and four are coming up.
After day one, a podium finish has already moved a long way off for the real WCC favourite on precious metal. As you can see, almost every mistake strews in, it’s not over yet,”said the 29-year-old overall World Cup runners-up of this season.
In the first round I made a serious mistake in the upper part of the first round, which could have resulted in a crash. From that point of view, I did a good job, but the speed for the glide bar was of course gone,”admitted Kindl,”It was also a bit of the wind inside, but that’s no excuse. The second run was better, but not quite round.”
The third Austrian in the alliance, Reinhard Egger, is on the 15th rank. Intermediate rank. I chose too little edge for the first run and left a lot of time behind due to some slippers,”says Egger. Now it’s time to bring two constant runs to the finish tomorrow to make up for as much ground as possible.”
ÖRV sports director Markus Prock praised Gleirscher for his performance:”David can drive very, very fast. Today he did a hell of a run. Wolfgang made a mistake in corner four/five” Prock now wants to help keep his hottest iron in the fight for the medal over the night calm “He is a cool guy. But a lot can happen on this route. He’s usually cool and he’s got a hell of a speed.”