Torino (pps) For 36 years it used to be a reliable prognosis: The winners of the pre-Olympic luge event never managed to win the gold medal a year later. Since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, however, this Olympic omen has been proven wrong in two out of three disciplines. Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler in the men’s event and Germany’s Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch in the doubles finally broke the ice at Utah Olympic Park. Zoeggeler won the Olympic test in 2001 and the Olympic gold medal one year later. The same holds true for Leitner-Resch. Only in the women’s event the pre-Olympic oracle was right in all eleven events since 1964. Most recently Silke Kraushaar won the pre-Olympic event in Salt Lake City, but her German team-mate Sylke Otto triumphed in the Olympic race, who had finished third in the pre-Olympic event.