"Everyone is hot for Lake Placid," says Norbert Loch in the FIL interview.

Oberhof (FIL/06 Nov 2023) Norbert Loch has been the head coach of Germany's successful luge athletes since the 2008-2009 season and has won 22 Olympic medals and 90 World Championship medals with his protégés. With four gold and two silver medals, the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing were the most successful of his career so far.

Ahead of the 2023/2024 season, we spoke with the 61-year-old German coach, who lives in Schönau a. Königssee:

Mr. Loch, how well prepared is your team for the new season and when will you nominate the World Cup team? Will there be chances for young, new athletes?

Norbert Loch: "We are well prepared. Fortunately there are no major injuries among our key players. We started training on ice very late this year. We only had ice on our German tracks since October 30th. In preparation we have four qualifying events, two in Altenberg, one in Oberhof and then the final in Winterberg. The World Cup team will be named on November 22.
I really hope that the young athletes will take their chance after the retirements in women's singles and men's doubles. Especially in the women's event I would like to nominate the best junior. This is a great opportunity. With Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer we now have a second team in the women's doubles alongside the world champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal. It will be an exciting race, also between the two German women's doubles. The start in Lake Placid will be a big challenge, especially when it's cold! The Olympic track is one of the most difficult tracks and our women have never raced doubles there."

The season opener of the EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup will take place in Lake Placid at the beginning of December 2023. For the first time since December 2019, a Luge World Cup will be held in Upstate New York. Are you and your team looking forward to that?

Norbert Loch: "We are definitely looking forward to Lake Placid. We haven't been there for three seasons and everyone is eager to return. I think it's very good that we have a training week before the World Cup starts. Lake Placid is one of the toughest tracks in the world. But everyone here is looking forward to racing on this hard track again. Everyone is hot for Lake Placid!”

Lake Placid has not hosted a World Cup event in the last three years. Has the home advantage of the U.S. team increased as a result?

Norbert Loch: "It's good for the young Americans to show what they can do in a place where they have built up a bit of a home advantage in recent years. Austria, Italy and Germany have very experienced athletes and will try to compete with the Americans. That's good, every nation should be able to use the small home advantage, that's the challenge. The American federation "USA Luge" will certainly organize a really nice competition and it's high time that the World Championships are held in Lake Placid again!

For the first time ever, the season will be kicked off with a prize money event during the training week prior to the first FIL Luge World Cup. What do you think about this event and will your best athletes participate?

Norbert Loch: "This is a very good thing. If we are already there and a new, very interesting start facility has been built there, we will participate. For the FIL family this is definitely a new, nice event. A great thing".

Shortly before the season with the home World Championships in Altenberg. What goals have you set for your team?

"Of course we have big plans. It's a first for us to host the World Championships two years in a row. In 2023 the World Championships took place in Oberhof and in 2024 in Altenberg. For me and my team the home World Championships in 2024 will be another big challenge. But we will be very focused in our preparations for the World Championships. You always have a certain home advantage on your own track. But then you have to realize that on day X. That's the big challenge, to prepare the athletes properly for that day. The result of Oberhof 2023 will be hard to beat.

We want to win medals and world titles in all disciplines. It is realistic that Germany can achieve this in all disciplines with the existing athlete potential and technical know-how. I can only hope that we will have good conditions at the World Championships and that we will be well prepared for all weather conditions.”

Thank you very much for the interview!