Olympic preview: Germany and Austria favoured - Latvia, Italy, USA and the athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee with outside chances

Beijing (FIL) Looking at the performances of the entire World Cup season, the German luge team is also the favourite for the Olympic Games in Beijing in all four disciplines. Julia Taubitz, Johannes Ludwig and the doubles' team of Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken received the big crystal globe as winners of the overall World Cup at the season finale in St. Moritz. The overall victory in the team relay also went to the German team. In addition, Natalie Geisenberger and Eggert/Benecken won the European titles.

Austria's lugers have made up a lot of ground. Madeleine Egle and Wolfgang Kindl both took second place in the World Cup rankings. A total of 25 top-3 finishes were achieved by athletes from the red-white-red team. This guarantees exciting races and close decisions in the fight for the coveted precious metal. Austria's head coach René Friedl sums up the ambitions: "We want to fight for the medals in all four disciplines, that is our realistic goal." Of course, the lugers from Latvia, Russia, Italy and the USA will not give up without a fight. They are banking on their chances as outsiders.

Olympic preview men Ludwig, Kindl, Loch, Aparjods, Repilov or? Who will be on top in the end?

Four experienced Olympians want to win more Olympic medals in Beijing 2022. Felix Loch (GER) has already won two gold medals in the singles, David Gleirscher (AUT) one gold, Chris Mazdzer (USA) one silver and Johannes Ludwig (GER) one bronze.

The chances are good for Johannes Ludwig. He won the big crystal globe for the first time in the Olympic season. The 35-year-old was already the winner of the overall World Cup one week before the final, ahead of Wolfgang Kindl (AUT). Behind Ludwig and Kindl, three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch (GER) and Kristers Aparjods (LAT) tied for third place in the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup for the 2021/22 season. Aparjods made history in Sochi when he became the first Latvian to win a luge World Cup. He then repeated his success on his home track in Sigulda in January. Kindl got better and better in the course of the Olympic season - was able to win three World Cups and in the end was the best in a strong Austrian men's team. Sovereign former World Champion Kindl mostly stayed ahead of Olympic Champion David Gleirscher and his younger brother Nico, the Sprint World Champion. The men from the red-white-red luge nation will be a force to be reckoned with in Beijing.

But the German men presented themselves a little stronger in November at the World Cup opener at the Yanqing Sliding Center. At the official Olympic premiere, three German lugers were on the podium. Johannes Ludwig, the 2018 Olympic champion in the team relay, won ahead of 49-time World Cup winner and three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch and young former World junior champion Max Langenhan from Thuringia. In contrast, World Champion Roman Repilov (ROC) had a mixed season and remained without a podium finish in the World Cup.