Georg Hackl

Background

Hackl was born in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.

Career

He is known affectionately as Hackl-Schorsch or as the Speeding Weißwurst a reference to what he looks like in his white bodysuit coming down the luge at fast speeds. He took up luge as part of his physical education lessons whilst at school, learning to slide at the Königssee track. Although Hackl was not as natural an athlete as Prock, he was noted as being extremely skilled at setting up his sled to suit particular ice conditions on a given day.

In addition his coach and former luger Thomas Schwab highlighted Hackl"s mental strength as being key to his success.

Most recently, he placed 7th in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Hackl has retired from active participation and got involved in coaching after the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Lugers coached by Hackl include Felix Loch, Natalie Geisenberger, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. This included six golds (Men"s singles: 1988, 1990.

Mixed team: 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002), three silvers (Men"s singles: 1994, Mixed team: 1990, 1994), and one bronze (Men"s singles: 1992).

He was inducted into the International Luge Federation"s Hall of Fame in 2013.

Achievements

• Hackl was known for his rivalry with Markus Prock, with Prock being dominant in World Cup competition whilst Hackl consistently achieved success at the Winter Olympics. He won his first Winter Olympic Games luge medal in 1988 in Calgary, when he finished second in the singles event, while placing fourth in the doubles. Four years later, he improved his performance to win the gold, a feat he repeated in 1994 and 1998. In 1998, he won the gold by clocking the fastest time in all four runs, the first in Olympic history in the men"s singles to do so (Vera Zozula of the Soviet Union did that feat in the women"s singles event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York). Hackl won the silver medal again in the 2002 Games, becoming the first Winter Olympian to win a medal in five consecutive Winter Olympics. Hackl won a total of 22 medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including ten golds (Men"s singles: 1989, 1990, 1997. Mixed team: 1991, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005), ten silvers (Men"s singles: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2004, 2005. Men"s doubles: 1987, Mixed team: 1996, 1997), and two bronzes (Men"s singles: 2000, Mixed team: 1999). At the FIL European Luge Championships, Hackl won ten medals. He won the overall Luge World Cup title in men"s singles twice (1988-1989, 1989-1990) and also had his best overall finish of second in men"s doubles twice (1986-1987, 1987-1988). Hackl is also a nine-time wok racing world champion.