Alex Ferlazzo

Fast Facts

Sport: Luge
Event: Singles
Olympic History: Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022
Highlights: Triple Olympian, 13th at Winterberg World Cup
Coach: Robert Fegg
Year Born: 1995
State Born: Queensland

About Alex

Born in Townsville, Alex Ferlazzo discovered luge in 2010 after a family friend suggested he try the sport. His first turns on ice came on the natural track at Naseby in New Zealand before he progressed to Lake Placid in the United States. Within two years he was at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, placing 19th in the boys’ singles. 

Alex made his Olympic debut at Sochi in 2014, becoming Australia’s fourth luge Olympian and just the second Australian man to race the sport at the Games, finishing 33rd in the men’s singles. In the same period he began making his mark on the junior circuit, including a breakthrough Junior World Cup victory at Whistler in 2014, the first FIL race win by an Australian, after earlier junior podiums.  

At PyeongChang 2018, Alex lifted Australia’s Olympic benchmark for men’s singles to 28th, a national best at the time. After a long pandemic-enforced spell at home, he returned to the circuit for the 2021–22 season with a renewed emphasis on mental skills that helped galvanise his performances. In Beijing 2022 he became Australia’s first three-time Olympic luger and delivered Australia’s best Olympic result in the sport, 16th overall, capped by a superb final run. 

Alex’s steady rise continued through 2023 as he trained under head coach Robert Fegg, spending blocks with the Canadian group to sharpen his sliding and equipment work. At the 2023 World Championships in Oberhof he reached the sprint final and placed 14th, before a late crash ended a promising singles run, experience he banked for the following year. 

The 2023 - 24 northern winter proved a watershed. In January 2024, Alex placed fifth at the World Championships in Altenberg, the best result by any Australian at a luge world championship, delivering two composed heats on Germany’s most exacting track. He then set a new Australian World Cup best with eighth place at Sigulda, and concluded the season a personal-best 14th in the World Cup standings. These results confirmed his transition from qualifier to consistent main-draw performer against Europe’s powerhouse nations. 

Alex carried that momentum into 2024-25. He captured the America Pacific Championships title at PyeongChang, ahead of U.S. sliders Tucker West and Jonathan Gustafson. At the 2025 World Championships in Whistler he placed 11th, his second-best world championship finish, and he added a season-best ninth in the PyeongChang World Cup before closing the campaign with 12th at Yanqing, ranking 17th overall for the season. 

Away from racing, Alex remains closely connected to his North Queensland roots. Through the AOC’s Olympics Unleashed program he has visited classrooms across Far North Queensland to share lessons about resilience and focus. When he’s not travelling or training, the Townsville local enjoys fishing, surfing and even some cross‑stitch, a neat contrast to the speed of the ice.