Max Langenhan from Thuringia delivered Germany's first Olympic victory in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The 26-year-old set track records in all four runs and overcame neck pain to beat Austrian rival Jonas Müller. Veteran Felix Loch finished a disappointing sixth.
On Sunday at 19:32, the German national anthem sounded for the first time at these Olympic Games on the ice track in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Max Langenhan, 26, from Friedrichroda in Thuringia, won the men's luge and secured Germany's first gold. The Pista olimpica Eugenio Monti was newly built—in just one year—and Langenhan was the first to test it 11 months ago during pre-homologation, when the track was still under construction.
Despite acute neck pain that started two days earlier, Langenhan competed. “Our doctors and physios did outstanding work,” he praised. With bib number 1, he set a track record in each of the four runs—a first in the sport. His lead was more than half a second over Austria's Jonas Müller and Italy's Dominik Fischnaller. “That's somehow really cool. I'm super happy that the whole performance came together,” Langenhan said. He thanked his team and tearfully remembered his late youth coach Uwe Lehmann, who died climbing. Due to the pain, he even removed the medal: “That's quite heavy thing.”
Felix Loch, 36, from Königssee and a three-time Olympic champion from 2010 and 2014, suffered a bitter defeat. In the first run on Saturday, he set a start record but touched the wall and lost significant time, finishing sixth. “Enjoy it,” he congratulated Langenhan. “It's just bitter when it happens in the most important race every four years,” Loch summed up his disappointment. The third German, Timon Grancagnolo from Chemnitz, ended his debut in ninth place.
The track is considered demanding, especially at the top where mistakes are costly. Eight-time world champion Julia Taubitz had said beforehand: “If you have a good rhythm there, you can dance the sled down.” Langenhan's victory underscores Germany's dominance in luge.
