Olympia 2018: David Gleirscher’s sports fairy tale

A last-minute qualifier and Olympic debutant has sensationally won the Olympic luge gold medal in the men’s singles. And he’s from Austria. The 23-year-old David Gleirscher wrote his personal sports fairy tale on Sunday. When he went into the last round in third place, he lived the dream of bronze, and in the end he was celebrated by his team-mates as Olympic champion.

Silver went to the US-American Chris Mazdzer, who won the first ever Olympic single-seater medal for the USA, and bronze to the German Johannes Ludwig. With ever-increasing snowfall, the German double Olympic champion Felix Loch, leading before the final run, dropped back to fifth place. For Austria it was the first medal at these Winter Games, as well as the 20. in the history of luge. And the first gold medal since 2010 in Vancouver by Andreas Linger/Wolfgang Linger (double seater).

The success story of the tobogganists under the sign of the Five Rings continued, Austria’s artificial track specialists have been guarantors of medals at the Olympic Games since 1992, i. e. eight games in a row.

“The whole thing can’t really be described. It’s unbelievable what happened today. I think it will take me a few days to realize this,”said Gleischer at the press conference, in which he shook his head and grinned at himself again and again in disbelief. After his run, he hadn’t even seen if he was first because his visor had started,”but then the team-mates came running towards me and cheered, I knew it was a medal” When the other competitors fell back, he couldn’t believe it.

The Olympic track was already in the final rehearsal last year when Gleirscher set a track record. And he got off to an excellent start with another track record in the Winter Games. In the second run, this and the lead of Loch were taken from him. In the third Mazder relegated to second place and passed the Tyrolean. Gleirscher went into the deciding run as third overall and for everyone even bronze would have been surprising. But a sensation came out.

Gleirscher has never been on the podium in the World Cup before. The policeman and father of a seven-month-old son by the name of Leon did not get acquainted until the 21st century. In the World Cup in Lillehammer on 1 January, he secured the ticket for South Korea in sixth place and also had to put his brother Nico at a disadvantage. His father Gerhard Gleirscher himself had been to the Olympics three times, but remained without medals. The family followed Olympia from home.

Co-favorite Wolfgang Kindl did not exceed rank nine, Reinhard Egger was 15th. Both of them were overjoyed by the personal disappointment with their teammate:”That’s something that doesn’t happen every day. It’s hard to find words. When things don’t go that way for yourself, you and your roommate are happy to join in. I am pleased that I was the first to be allowed to celebrate him,”explained Kindl.

“A madness, no one expected it. He’s never been on a podium in a World Cup race before. Indescribable from that point of view. This is generally great for Austria in general and a madness for Austria’s tobogganing team,”he added. He didn’t think it was possible to jump from three to one.”No, never! We were so excited when he crossed the finish line and kept the lead.”

Egger didn’t just have wet eyes from the snowflakes.”That’s insane. I couldn’t hold back anymore, it just shoots out. He had a trembler out of turn nine, and there was another brief heart attack. But he’s a cool sock, he’s done it now.”

Everyone from Rodellager was looking forward to the celebration in the Austria House:”That’s part of the celebration, if you can’t do it and the other person takes the place. It’s a pity that we didn’t make it ourselves, but that’s like being a family,”says Egger.