From Lausanne to Cortina

How the Youth Olympic Games pave the way to the Olympics – as told through the stories of Merle Fräbel and Timon Grancagnolo

Cortina (FIL/02.02.2025) For many athletes, the Olympic dream does not begin at the Olympic Games, but years earlier – at the Youth Olympic Games. These games are a stage, a school, and a dress rehearsal all at once. Hardly any two German lugers embody this path as impressively as Merle Fräbel and Timon Grancagnolo. Both won medals at the Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 – and six years later, both are now on Team Germany's roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Gold and bronze in the singles, silver in the team event – and a first taste of the Olympics

Lausanne 2020 was a milestone for Merle Fräbel. The 22-year-old from Oberhof was crowned Youth Olympic champion in the women's singles. For Timon Grancagnolo from Chemnitz, the YOG ended with a bronze medal in the singles – also early proof that he can hold his own on the international stage. The two lugers then went on to win a silver medal in the team relay.

But the medals only tell part of the story. The experience itself was just as formative: the Olympic Village, the clothing ceremony, the media hype, encounters with other sports. “The clothing ceremony back then was like Christmas,” recalls Fräbel. Even though everything was smaller—fewer athletes, a manageable village in St. Moritz—much of it already felt amazingly Olympic."

Learning on a small scale – benefiting on a large scale

For Fräbel, Lausanne was an important preparation for what now awaits her in Cortina. “Participating in the Youth Olympic Games has made me feel well prepared for the Olympic Games,” she says. Particularly valuable: the training and competition format by discipline – a system that is also used at the “big” Olympic Games. “You could compare yourself with the others from the very first run. That was very helpful for me.”

Timon Grancagnolo also looks back with shining eyes. For him, the YOG was his first real contact with the Olympic spirit. “You get team clothing for all sports, you have more media presence than at the Junior World Cups, Team Germany is present.” In St. Moritz, he not only experienced luge, but also speed skating on the frozen lake, bobsleigh, and skeleton—a glimpse beyond his own sport. “That was really great,” he says.

From junior to Olympic team

Both athletes exemplify a generational change in German luge. “Timon and I have just come out of the juniors and have already established ourselves so well among the ‘big names’,” says Fräbel proudly. The leap from the junior level to the world elite has been successful – not least thanks to the experience they were able to gain at an early age.

Looking back, Grancagnolo describes the YOG as “the Olympics in mini format.” The village—a converted youth hostel—was cramped, and living together was intense. “I was with other sports, which was cool.” On top of that, there was a small but emotional opening ceremony. And at the end: the medal as the crowning glory.

Now everything is getting bigger

Milan Cortina 2026 is now the next, significantly bigger step. Even the Olympic clothing in Munich was a foretaste of what is to come for Grancagnolo. “You immediately notice how much bigger everything will be.” Fräbel sees it similarly – and yet feels ready. "I have achieved my goal. I am very proud to be able to go to the Winter Olympics in Cortina.“

Both know that the Olympics have a different dimension, both athletically and emotionally. Grancagnolo sums it up: ”The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event we can participate in.“ He is looking forward to good food, good company, a challenging track – and to ”soaking up the Olympic spirit."

A shared journey – two individual dreams

Gold at the Youth Olympic Games, bronze for his teammate, now his first Olympic nomination in the singles: the careers of Merle Fräbel and Timon Grancagnolo show how important the Youth Olympic Games can be as a springboard. They take away nervousness, teach procedures, create memories – and whet the appetite for more.

Lausanne was the beginning. Cortina is the next big step. And for two young lugers from Germany, a circle is closing, proving that the Olympic dream often begins earlier than one might think.