Sochi (pps) For more than three decades it has served as a reliable omen. But since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah it has remained silent. To cut a long story short – we are referring to the “Olympic omen”. It was Italy’s record World Champion Armin Zoeggeler, however, who first silenced the omen, then followed by Sylke Otto in the women’s singles and Patric Leitner-Alexander Resch (all of Germany) in the doubles. Until the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City the “iron rule of luge” claimed that the winners of the pre-Olympic World Cup event will not earn the Olympic gold medal one year later. But twice, in 2001 and 2005, Zoeggeler broke the rule when he won the pre-Olympic test event and then became Olympic Champion. In the doubles event, Leitner-Resch paid no attention to the omen as they won the 2001 test event and became Olympic Champions in 2002. The same holds true for Sylke Otto who won the pre-Olympic test event in 2005 and won her second Olympic gold medal after 2002 just one year later.