Oberhof (pps) Germanys Karsten Albert, 1998 European runner-up and sixth at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, has ended his career. The 35-year-old who did not make it into the German national squad for the World Championships last winter, is already working with young athletes as a coach at the luge and bobsleigh club in Thuringia since April 2002. "In January 2003 I ve started my studies at the sports university in Cologne. I m surely through by the end of 2005 and then we ll see what happens. It would be nice to be still working for the luge sports", explained the 1992 national German champion.
Albert will compete in his last race at the German national championships on his home track in Oberhof in December 2003. This is where he celebrated the one victory in the Viessmann Luge World Cup of his career.