Sochi (pps) While Felix Loch of Germany can only defeat himself, Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler (photo, right) might be able to write a new chapter in the history of Olympic Winter Games. Loch is the absolute top favorite in the Olympic men’s singles event and Zoeggeler has the chance to become the first winter sport athlete to claim his sixth medal at his sixth Olympic Games – and if all breaks correctly for the Italian, he could depart the Russian Riviera with seven medals (singles and Team Relay).

Four years ago at the 2012 Winter Games in Vancouver (Canada) the 24-year-old from Germany and the Italian, 16 years his senior, shared the podium in Whistler. It was Loch’s first Olympic gold medal while Zoeggler collected his fifth medal – his second bronze after two gold and one silver medal. Since that day, the duel between the daring high-flyer and the experienced luge athlete saw numerous repetitions. At the 2011 World Championships back home in Cesana the luger from South Tyrol, who will be the flag-bearer for his country at the Opening Ceremony, had an edge over the young German. But subsequently it was mostly Loch who got the better end.

“Actually, Felix cannot be defeated. The rest of us will be fighting for the silver and bronze medals,” said Zoeggeler. Loch can hardly wait for the start of the four Olympic runs in the men’s singles on February 8-9 (start at 18:30 hrs local time/15:30 hrs CET). “I’m so happy that we’re finally getting started,” said the defending Olympic gold medalist. Zoeggeler, on the other hand, is as low-key as usual and quietly enjoyed his 100th podium finish in Winterberg (GER) and his 57th individual victory at the Viessmann Luge World Cup event in Sigulda (LAT). Loch (photo, left), or so it seems, is downright playing with his competitors. Despite some unusual mistakes the youngest Olympic luge Champion celebrated victories at five of nine Viessmann Luge World Cup events and claimed the overall World Cup ranking for the third time in a row. And even the burden of being the top favorite does not weigh him down: “In the past years I’ve managed the pressure very, very well.”

At the World Cup in Altenberg Loch achieved a leading margin of seven tenths of a second in the second run, leaving his competitors far behind. Already four years ago, Loch’s winning margin to the then silver medalist and teammate David Moeller amounted to almost seven tenths of a second – and that after four runs. The margin was greater than at any other previous men’s singles event in the 50-year-long Olympic history of luge. Moeller will be once again competing in Sochi. Together with compatriot Andi Langenhan and Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller he is among the medal favorites. Back home in Italy, the 2013 junior World Champion Fischnaller is already celebrated as the potential successor to Zoeggeler - more than ever after he took the podium’s top spot at the season opener in Lillehammer, Norway.

Russia’s Albert Demchenko, however, should not be written off at his “home event” at the imposing Sliding Center Sanki that overlooks Krasnaya Polyana. Even at age 42 he does not belong to the “sled scrapheap” yet. Shortly before the start of the Olympic Games, he won the gold medal in the Team Relay at the 45th European Championships of the International Luge Federation (FIL). However, Demchenko did not compete in the men’s singles. Including his European Championship titles in the men’s singles (2006, 2010 and in the Team Relay in 2010), the 2006 Olympic bronze medalist thus claimed his fourth European title.