Berlin (pps) Anne Abernathy of the Virgin Islands and Germany’s three-time Olympic champion Georg Hackl will both compete in their sixth Olympic Winter Games in Torino and will equal Austria’s Markus Prock, who was the only luger in the Olympic history until now to participate in six Olympic Winter Games between 1984 and 2002. Abernathy as well as Hackl have competed in all Olympic Winter Games since 1988.

Besides Markus Prock, only nine other winter sports athletes have been registered with six Olympic participations so far: Jochen Behle (Germany, 1980-1998 cross-country ski-ing), Colin Coates (Australia, 1968-1988 speed skating), Michael Dixon (Great Britain, 1984-2002 cross-country skiing, biathlon), Alfred Eder (Austria, 1976-1994 biathlon), Carl-Erik Eriksson (Sweden, 1964-1984 bobsleigh), Raimo Helminen (Finland, 1984-2002 ice hockey), Emese Hunyady (Austria, 1984-2002 speed skating), Harri Kirvesniemi (Finland, 1980-1998 cross-country skiing), Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (Finland, 1976-1994 cross-country skiing).

In luge there are three athletes with five Olympic participations in addition to Abernathy and Hackl: Sergei Danilin (USSR/Russia, 1980-1994), Paul Hildgartner (Italy, 1972-1988) and Maria Jasencakova (Czechoslovakia/Slovakia, 1980-1998).