LUGE: As Australia’s sole competitor in the Luge, Alex Ferlazzo is just looking to put down four good runs when competition starts in the men’s singles event on Day 1 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
LUGE: As Australia’s sole competitor in the Luge, Alex Ferlazzo is just looking to put down four good runs when competition starts in the men’s singles event on Day 1 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Coached by dual Olympian Hannah Campbell-Pegg, Ferlazzo will be looking to continue his steady progression in the sport, after a ninth place at the 2014 Junior World Cup in Latvia.
Having only taken up the sport in 2010, Ferlazzo made history winning Australia’s first Luge medal at World Cup level, a bronze in the Junior World Cup youth men’s event in Norway in 2012.
Ferlazzo said living in the southern hemisphere, his entry into the sport and training was extremely different to his competitors.
The 18-year old said he got into the sport after his mother met a former Luge athlete at a Pilates class.
"She got me into it and from there I went over to Lake Placid in America to give it a go - and really enjoyed it," he said.
"It turned out I was fairly good. That was three years ago now and so it's been a good trip so far."
After practicing on the road down Townsville’s Mt Stuart, the Queenslander will take on the world’s best at Sanki Sliding Centre.
The newly built track is the longest track in the world, has three ascent sections and features 17 curves winding its way across the northern slop of the Aibga Ridge.
Ferlazzo said he’d had some good runs on the track in training.
“I’m fully confident with this track, how safe it is, and I’m confident in my ability to keep it all together,” he said.
The men’s singles competition will be decide on the aggregate time of four runs over two consecutive days, this year Day 1 and Day 2 of the Olympics.
Luge is one of only two sports at the Winter Olympics that is timed to the thousandth of a second.
Heading into the men’s event, hot favourite and 2013 World Champion in Whistler, German Felix Loch looks ready to claim the top podium position.
In peak form, the reigning Olympic Champion is looking to add to his gold in the men’s singles four years ago in Vancouver.
Loch is no sure thing, with teammate David Moeller, also chasing the gold medal.
The German luger finished a little over sixth tenths of a second behind Loch in Vancouver and has World Championship gold from 2004 and 2007.
Looking to spoil the German one-two is Italian Armin Zoeggeler. The 40-year-old Luge veteran will be aiming to add to his two gold, one silver and three bronze Olympic medals.
Also tipped to challenge for the medals is home favourite, Russian Albert Demchenko.
Demchenko is competing in his seventh Olympics and looking to add to his silver medal from Torino eight years ago.
In addition to the men’s singles, there are also a women’s singles and a men’s doubles events.
Running over two days, the women’s event has two clear German favourites for the podium.
2010 Winter Olympic bronze medallist, Natalie Geisenberger, and gold medallist Tatjana Hufner, are both seen as challenging for the gold this year.
Continuing the German domination of favourites for the Luge events, men’s pair Tobias Wendi and Tobias Arlt look set to come out on top in the men’s doubles competition.
Coming off two gold medals at the 2013 World Championships in the men’s doubles and mixed team events, the pair are tipped to add to their medal collection in the one-day competition of two runs.