YANQING: German luge queen Natalie Geisenberger says her birthday wish Saturday is that she and her rivals in the women’s singles remain free of Covid at the Beijing Games to ensure a strong field as she hunts a record-equalling sixth Olympic medal.
Geisenberger is already the most decorated female luge racer in Olympics history with four golds and a bronze.
She marked her 34th birthday by dominating Saturday’s training at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre ahead of the women’s singles heats, which start Monday, but refused to accept the role of favourite.
“There is always bluffing in training, you never know what the others still have in them,” said Geisenberger.
“I’m feeling good, I’ve adjusted well to the track,” she said, having learned from a crash on the Olympic course during November’s test event.
She threw down a marker by clocking 127 kilometres per hour (79 miles per hour) down the 1.475 kilometres-long track in the fastest time of 58.811 seconds.
She later hoped to enjoy some birthday cake in the Olympic Village, but “probably behind perspex” with seating in the meals hall partitioned to meet strict anti-Covid measures.
“The most important thing is that we all stay negative so that we can all take part,” she said.
“It would be bitter if three or four have to drop out, especially as we have all worked towards this for four years.”
Her tally of five Olympic medals includes singles and team golds at both the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Games alongside a singles bronze from Vancouver in 2010.
After winning a ninth world title of her career in 2019, Geisenberger missed the 2019-2020 season to have her son Leo.
She confirmed her return to the top this season by winning the European title in St Moritz last month.
The main pretenders to her Olympic crown are team-mate and current overall World Cup winner Laura Taubitz, 25, plus Austria’s Madeleine Egle, 23, who won five of the 12 World Cup races this winter.
Should Geisenberger finish on the podium after Tuesday’s fourth and final heat, she will equal the record of six Olympic medals won by Italian luge legend Armin Zoeggeler, who retired in 2014.
The 48-year-old is in Beijing coaching his daughter Nina Zoeggeler, 21, who insisted she would have no problem if Geisenberger equalled her father’s record with a sixth Olympic luge medal.
“I’ve already wished her good luck,” she said.
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