LUGE: The fast, unpredictable event of mixed relay will debut at the Sochi Olympics, with the German team hot favourite to continue to dominate the sport.
LUGE: He’s been called the Usain Bolt of Luge, now German Felix Loch is out to dominate the Olympic debut of the sport's Mixed Relay event.
The defending champion in the Men’s Singles, Loch blew the field away on Sunday with a track record in his third heat.
He easily beat his competition, completing four runs down the Sanki Sliding Centre track in three minutes, 27.562 seconds, 0.476 seconds ahead of Russian Albert Demchenko in second.
In a sport measured in thousandths of a second, it was a dominant display by the 24-year-old.
He will be back on Day Six leading the German team in the first ever Luge relay at the the Olympics.
Germany has won the team event at the last 10 World Championships, with Loch leading them for the past four.
Mixed Luge relay involves each country entering a woman, a man, and a men’s doubles sled which compete in that order from the same starting point. As each slider finishes, racers sit up on their sled to touch a button over the finish line that registers their time and activates the starting gate for their teammate's sled.
In a sport more known for its individual events, the relay has been called unpredictable and crazy with a high rate of disqualifications in the changeover period.
Thirteen countries have qualified for the relay in Sochi, including Canada which is yet to win a Luge Olympic medal. They head into the event confident they can finish on the podium, with a second and third placing at the last two World Championships.
The relay is one of 12 new men’s, women’s or mixed competitions at Sochi, including Snowboard Slopestyle and Women’s Ski Jump.
