The circumstances surrounding the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China are anything but ordinary, but the level of competition hasn’t declined. This was evident when German Luger Natalie Geisenberger won gold in the singles luge competition for a record 3rd consecutive Olympics. While most of the luge athletes struggled in their trips down the track, with many crashing, it was smooth sledding for Geisenberger in all four runs. She made it look effortless, and reminded the world why she is such a fun athlete to watch during the Olympics every four years.
Geisenberger’s time as an Olympian began in 2010 at the Vancouver games where she claimed a Bronze Medal in singles luge. During the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia Geisenberger claimed her first Gold Medal in singles luge. This is a feat that she repeated at Pyeongchang in the 2018 games.
After taking a break from competition in 2019 and 2020 to focus on motherhood, Geisenberger returned to competition in 2021, and eventually qualified for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Heading into the Olympics, some people questioned whether she could still put together a solid run after taking time off, but Geisenberger quickly silenced those critics by leading in the standings after the first two runs. She led the competition after three runs. In the 4th and final run, Geisenberger raced her way past fellow German countrywoman Anna Berreiter to claim her 3rd consecutive Olympic Gold in singles luge. In doing so, Geisenberger became the first woman ever to claim three straight Olympic Gold Medals in singles Luge. It was also her 5th Olympic Gold, having won the luge team relay in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. Geisenberger has a total of six Olympic medals when you include her Bronze Medal finish in singles luge at the 2010 Games.
Geisenberger’s Olympic career is only a small part of her overall dominance in the sport of luge. She has a total of 16 medals at Luge World Championship events (9 Gold), and 14 medals at the European Championships (7 Gold). She is a joy to watch. Natalie Geisenberger is widely considered the greatest luge athlete of all-time.
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