Pick-up And Delivery Service For Merle Fräbel

22-year-old makes her Olympic debut Germany's medal hope

Oberhof (FIL/30 Jan 2026) It was not necessarily expected that Merle Fräbel would win the European Championship title this season. Although the 22-year-old German finished second on the podium at the season opener in Winterberg, she was unable to repeat this performance. But of course, on her home track in Oberhof, she was able to put her experience from many training runs to good use. In addition to the European Championship title, it was also her second victory in a World Cup race. She had achieved her first two years earlier. Where? In Oberhof, of course. “I would have liked to have won on a different track,” she said in her initial reaction, “but I'll take it.”

Merle Fräbel's reactions to her first major title were typical of her. “Now I can write something new on my autograph card,” she said of the task ahead. And after the race, she immediately headed to one of the huts at the race track: “I rewarded myself for my second World Cup victory with a Thuringian bratwurst.”

The athlete, who was the first German to win a gold medal in luge at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, is approaching the Olympic Games for adults with the same relaxed attitude. “I want to have a lot of fun and feel little pressure,” she says. But with a height of 1.87 meters and corresponding weight and athleticism, she is inevitably one of the favorites. Especially since she is one of the best starters, thanks in part to her long arms. “Four clean runs, four fast starts,” she says is her goal. “Olympic victory – many would like that,” she says.

Unlike in the World Cup, the decision is made in four runs instead of two, which she sees not as a disadvantage but as an opportunity. “If things don't go well on the first day, then two good runs on the next day would be perfect,” Fräbel calculates, “and if things went well, then you can carry the momentum forward.” Going to bed with too many thoughts and sleeping poorly – out of the question. On the one hand, she has been working with a mental coach for a year and a half to be prepared for such situations. On the other hand, she explains: “With a night in between, we've already had World Cups in Lake Placid and Sigulda this season.”

It was clear that Merle Fräbel would one day take up a winter sport. “I was born in Suhl, in the middle of a winter sports region.” But which one? Her older brother Noah used to do cross-country skiing, but has since stopped. “When I was eight years old,” says Fräbel, "my parents were looking for sports for me to do. And they also looked at what the Suhl luge team had to offer. That convinced them. “My father said, ‘They offer a pick-up and drop-off service and also provide homework supervision.’ That's it.” Merle Fräbel doesn't mean any harm when she says, “It meant less work for my parents.” In sixth grade, she transferred from Suhl to the nearby sports high school in Oberhof.

The three-time U23 world champion met Max Langenhan early on during training. It wasn't just his riding position and his successes that made her choose the six-time world champion and two-time overall World Cup winner as her role model. “I find his composure fascinating,” she explains, “and his self-confidence. He never doubts himself.” She says she can still learn a lot from him in daily training. “I'm glad to have him as a training partner.” But she can also ask Felix Loch, the three-time Olympic champion, for advice at any time.

In addition to the European Championship title, the weekend in Oberhof also gave her something else with her home victory – self-confidence. “I know for sure that I can compete at the front from now on. And I definitely want to do that. That's just self-confidence again.” Good conditions for a successful Olympic Games.