Georg Hackl

1966-

German luger

Georg Hackl is regarded as the best ever to compete at luge, the Olympic sport in which participants lie on their backs on tiny sleds and speed feet-first down icy channels at 90 mph, their runs timed in thousandths of a second. Hackl, who is German, is good-naturedly called the "Flying Sausage" for his love of bratwurst and speed and, perhaps, his unathletic build. What he lacks in physique, however, Hackl more than makes up for in unshakable nerve and technical prowess. He dominated luge in the 1990s, becoming the first luger—and one of only five Winter Olympians from any sport—to win gold at three consecutive Olympic Games.

Mental focus

Hackl won the individual event at the Albertville Olympics in 1992, Lillehammer in 1994, and Nagano in 1998. And he book-ended these gold medals with silver medals in Calgary in 1988 and Salt Lake City in 2002. Hackl is the first Winter Olympian to win a medal in five consecutive Olympic Games and the first Olympian, summer or winter, to win a medal in the same individual event at five consecutive games. "His mental strength is phenomenal," German coach Thomas Schwab told Tim Layden in Sports Illustrated. "It really borders on virtuosity. Before he gets on the sled at the top of the run, he has gone through every situation that could possibly happen. As he slides, it seems to him that it has already happened before. He has this mystical air about him."

Fearless and technically savvy

Hackl was raised in Berchtesgarden, Germany, a haven for winter sports in the Bavarian Alps. He tried luge for the first time in grammar school; he was neither a natural athlete nor an immediate success. He was, however, mechanically adept. Hackl loved to design and build lightweight luge sleds and was constantly tweaking them to increase their speed. At age sixteen, he became an apprentice to a metal worker so he could make

better sleds. USA Today recounted the story of Hackl setting a track record in his opening run of the 2001 World Cup season in Calgary, then quickly stuffing his sled into a bag. "The move was typical for the luge legend, who guards his equipment innovations like a chef's secret sauce," the paper said. Hackl elevated the stakes in his quest for a fifth Olympic medal. Before the 2002 games, he enlisted engineers at Porsche to help him create a faster sled. "To be part of developing a sport is something that is very satisfying. If you took a sled from 10 years ago, it would be more than half a second slower," Hackl, a beer-loving sergeant in the German Army, told the New York Times. "I was the best, and then the others tried to beat me. They succeeded. Then I try to beat them. This pushes the process, and that is what has kept my interest for 20 years. I design my sleds. I design the start technique, the driving, the aerodynamic position and the equipment."

The other critical factor in Hackl's winning repertoire is his fearless nature. Lugers hurtle down the side of a mountain, unprotected, at astonishing speeds—but they must remain relaxed to minimize unnecessary movements that can be the difference between winning and losing. This is where Hackl excels. "The object is to steer while moving as little as possible because even the smallest of motions is transferred immediately to the runners, throwing a sled off-line. In a sport timed in thousandths of a second, any error is lethal to success," Layden wrote in Sports Illustrated. "Hackl rides as still as a corpse, his movements are more subtle than a whisper, his driving line a work of art. His skill and focus are no less impressive than that of the quarterback who doesn't hear the crowd."

Decade of domination

At age twenty-one, Hackl slid to a silver medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and he was the world champion in 1989 and 1990. It was the beginning of a remarkable string of success. Hackl went on to win at least 20 World Cup competitions and numerous world championship medals in both individual and team events. He finished in the top three in the overall World Cup standings eight times. In 1997, he added another world championship. It was at the Olympics, however, that Hackl's performance became legendary. In 1992, he won the gold medal in the Albertville games, adding to the German-speaking nations' dominance in winter sports. Two years later, he won gold in Lillehammer, outpacing the silver medalist by 13-thousandths of a second. At the 1998 games in Nagano, Hackl joined an elite group of Winter Olympians—including U.S. speed skater Bonnie Blair —to have won the same event three times in a row. "Hackl is the most decorated luge racer in history," Mike Dodd wrote in USA Today. "He brings a reputation as a driver who saves his best for the biggest events."

Deprived of fourth gold

Hackl had a chance to make history at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City—to become the first winter Olympian ever to win gold in the same event at four consecutive Olympiads. Six weeks before the games, Hackl's father watched him win a Super-Cup race in Germany, gave his son a congratulatory hug and, a few minutes later, suffered a heart attack. He died in the ambulance that came to his aid. Hackl would carry his grief to Salt Lake City, where Italy's Armin Zoeggeller prevented him from claiming his fourth Olympic gold medal. Hackl demonstrated grace despite his disappointment. Still in the finishing zone when Zoeggeller completed his winning run, Hackl spontaneously led the applause for his rival. Afterward, he told reporters: "This second place is where I belong. Armin is the right champion." When someone asked Hackl whether he was dedicating his medal to anyone, however, he thought of his father and broke down and sobbed. "I want to dedicate it to my father," he said haltingly. "Who died. A few weeks ago."

With Hackl's second-place finish behind Zoeggeller, he became the first athlete to win a medal in five consecutive Winter Olympics. He is more than the most successful luger in history, however. He is an endearing man and a fan favorite who brought unprecedented attention to his sport. "Georg has made us …more famous in Europe," Adam Heidt, a luger from Long Island, told the New York Times, "and hopefully a little more famous now in America."

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

After the 2002 Olympic Games, Hackl returned to the World Cup circuit. He said he would compete for at least another year, but was uncertain whether he would still be in the game in 2006, his next opportunity to extend his Olympic streak. "I feel great to have this awesome career, especially in the Olympic Games," Hackl was quoted in the New York Times, "and maybe I am very lucky because you also need to have good luck to win medals."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Deutscher Bob-Rodelschlihen, Ander Shiesstrasse 6, Berchtesgarden, D-83471, Germany.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

"'88 Winter Olympics; Mueller Glides to Gold in Luge." New York Times (February 16, 1988).

Baker, Andrew. "Hackl's Rise Ends with Silver." Daily Telegraph (London, England) (February 12, 2002).

Clarey, Christopher. "Nagano '98: Luge; Gold and Silver Divided by Split Seconds." New York Times (February 1, 1998).

Dodd, Mike. "Hackl Will be a Hard Man to Catch." USA Today (February 10, 2002).

Fawlty, Matt. "Iceman Suffers Rare Meltdown." Australian (February 13, 2002).

"Germany's 'Flying Sausage' Makes History." Agence France Presse (February 12, 2002).

"Hackl Closes Gap on Kleinheinz." New York Times (January 26, 2003).

Layden, Tim. "Born to Luge." Sports Illustrated (February 9, 1998).

Layden, Tim. "Going Four Gold at 35, Germany's Georg Hackl is Sliding for Olympic History." Sports Illustrated (February 10, 2002).

Litsky, Frank. "U.S. Settles for Moral Victories, not Medals, in Luge." New York Times (February 11, 1992).

"Record Run by Italian Threatens German Dominance in the Luge." New York Times (February 11, 2002).

Robbins, Liz. "A German Legend Loses to an Italian, Then Loses his Composure." New York Times (February 12, 2002).

Sketch by David Wilkins