Argentina's Veronica Ravenna makes Olympic Luge history
Beijing (FIL) Argentina’s Verónica Ravenna first made Olympic history aged 19 in PyeongChang, when she became South America’s youngest female athlete to compete in luge - the world’s fastest sport on ice.
Fast forward four years - now 23 years old - she is about to make history once again, this time as South America’s first female luger to compete at two Olympic Games - and when Argentina is sending for the first time since Lillehammer 1992 more women than men to these Olympics.
Ravenna, born in Buenos Aires, moved to Whistler, Canada, with her family aged six.
By 11 she had fallen in love with luge after a school trip to the Whistler Sliding Centre, just before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.
Raising the flag
With a mother from Patagonia, a father from Buenos Aires, and a life now spent in Whistler - steeped in Olympic history as the host of the 2010 Winter Games - she will be flying two flags in her heart in Beijing.
“It’s definitely the best of both worlds, because I get to represent where I came from, where all my family came from, all my cousins and all our first friends,” she said in an interview with Pique News Magazine.
“But then I also get to represent the town that kind of made me, the town that gave me the opportunity to get to where I am to be able to represent my home country.”
On the road to Beijing with Germany
If Ravenna was to choose a third flag to fly in her heart at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games it would be for Germany.
As Argentina’s only luge athlete, Ravenna has turned to the world’s most successful nation in luge - Germany - for training help, and the team has well and truly taken her under their wing.
This year, Ravenna has spent one month with George Hackl, the three time Olympic and World Champion, perfecting style and her sled.
“The German team has really helped me more than I could ever imagine. I like to say that we are all in elementary school and they are in university - everything that they know, every second, every run is planned and they know how to improve, from the sleds, to the technique, absolutely everything!”
Let the Games begin
Ravenna is now all set for Yanqing National Sliding Centre luge track, which features the world’s first 360-degree turn and 16 curves.
“I feel that I’ve improved technically, I’m four years older, I’ve improved mentally a lot too, and I’m a lot more prepared for these Olympics.
“The experience in PyeongChang was so unbelievable. You watch it on TV and you imagine what it’s like. But until you are there with all your country teammates cheering for you at the start, all the cameras, it’s something you can’t describe - it’s such a special feeling.”
Get to know Veronica: https://www.facebook.com/FILuge/videos/255357446676776
Argentina & luge - brief history
Matiás Stinnes became Argentina’s first Olympic luge athlete at Innsbruck 1964, competing in men’s singles.
In 1998, Rubén González made his Olympic luge début, and went on to compete in four Winter Olympics from 1988 to 2010. He still holds the record for being the first athlete to participate in four different Winter Olympic Games in four different decades. He competed alongside his brother Marcelo in men’s singles at Beijing 2022.
Michelle Despain became Argentina’s first female Olympic luge athlete when she competed at Turin 2006.
