With a flawless second run and a track record, Olympic luge champion Felix Loch (Berchtesgaden) in Pyeongchang set course for his historic third individual gold medal in succession.
The 28-year-old rider leads the field at half-time, with 0.188 seconds separating him from Austria’s second-placed David Gleirscher, followed by the Russian Roman Repilow (0.217). The decision is made in the two final runs on Sunday.
“Here on this track something can go wrong very quickly, I can’t yet see all this in a relaxed way. Tomorrow I need two more safe runs,”Loch said. But he seemed relieved when he waved into the cameras after the second run, which he was the only one of the favourites to finish without any mistakes in 47.625 seconds. So far, only the German luge icon Georg Hackl has won three gold medals in the individual Olympic race.
After a weaker second run, Johannes Ludwig (Oberhof) dropped back to eighth place with a gap of 0.405 seconds behind, just ahead of world champion Wolfgang Kindl (Austria/0.514). Andi Langenhan (Zella-Mehlis/0,634) is twelfth,”I got my ass kicked because I’ve put everything on one card,”he said about his faulty first run:”I didn’t want to be fifth or sixth again at Olympia, but risk everything. Something like this can happen.”
After the first run, the 23-year-old Gleirscher, who had never been on a World Cup podium in his career, took the lead surprisingly. The Austrian had only qualified for the World Cup in Lillehammer at his last chance and outdid his younger brother Nico. Sport is in the blood of the siblings: their father is former world-class tobogganist Gerhard Gleirscher.
“Everybody can’t be on the bill, but I had him in the back of my mind,”said Loch about Gleirscher:”He has already been convincing here in practice and was quick:” After mistakes in the first run, another co-favorite is going into the decisive two rounds, as well as world champion Kindl with a little delay: European champion Semen Pawlitschenko lost control of his sled several times, the Russian is now 17th. already hopelessly back.