Utah Olympic Park – It is likely to become the most exciting luge race of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. There are seven doubles teams who are hoping for a medal on Thursday, February 14. Among them are the two US teams Mark Grimmette/Brian Martin and Chris Thorpe with his new partner Clay Ives.

Four years ago in Nagano, Thorpe had made Olympic history when he won silver with his partner Gordy Sheer and gained the US Luge Federation its first Olympic medal ever in its history. In Nagano, Grimmette/Martin had also assured the bronze medal for the US team.

Besides the US teams, the German athletes are clearly among the possible medallists, particularly the overall Viessmann World Cup winners, current European Champions and former World Champions Patric Leitner/Alex Resch. At short notice, the second German ticket to the Olympics had been won by the deputy World Champions Steffen Skel/Steffen Wöller. At an internal qualification race on the occasion of the World Cup finals, the duo had managed to push the current World Champions Andre Florschütz/Torsten Wustlich, who had already been nominated, out of the Olympic team.

Tough was also the qualification within the Italian team. Not even the 1994 Olympic Champions Kurt BRUGGER/Willi Huber made it to Salt Lake City. Christian Oberstolz/Patrick Gruber as well as Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder are now representing the Italian colors.

Possible medallists are clearly also the Austrian former World Champions Tobias Schiegl/Markus Schiegl. After several years without major successes, the two cousins who had been fourth in Nagano won this year’s Viessmann World Cup in Igls.

Other than in the men’s and women’s singles competitions, the medals in the doubles race are awarded after only two runs.