Felix Loch Athlete
Felix Loch (born 24 July 1989) is a German luger and Olympic champion. He has been competing since 1995 and has been on the German national team since 2006. He won five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds and one silver. Loch's men's singles win in 2008 made him the youngest world champion ever at 18 years old. He is the youngest Olympic Gold Medalist in men's Luge history. At the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships in Cesana, Italy, he finished sixth in the men's singles event. Previously he had won the 2006 Junior World Championship held in Altenberg, Germany. Loch is member of the Club RC Berchtesgaden and currently lives at Schönau am Königssee though he was born in Sonneberg. During International Training Week at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia on November 7–15, 2008, Loch injured his shoulder during training. Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland (BSD) Sport Director Thomas Schwab stated that Loch would compete at the opening Luge World Cup event at Igls, Austria on November 29–30, 2008 to which Loch did. On 21 February 2009, during the 2008-09 Luge World Cup season finale at Whistler Sliding Centre, Felix Loch recorded the fastest registered speed in luge, 153.98 km/h (95.68 mph). Loch won the Men's Singles gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics after Nodar Kumaritashvili's death.
