A sport centered on sledding? That’s luge—from the French word for sled—where athletes lie on their backs on a compact sled, feet extended forward, and race down an ice track at roughly 100 mph with no mechanical brakes.

Luge athletes compete in single or double events, and for the first time at the , women will take part in the doubles competition—marking a key milestone for the sport. This year, U.S. luge competitors Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby will participate in the women’s doubles event.

Here’s what to know about the origins of the sport that the refers to as “the fastest in the .”

History of luge

Luge originated in Switzerland, with hotels hosting the first international luge contest in February 1883 on a road connecting St. Wolfgang and Klosters. But sledding itself has an even longer history.

“Sleds were used thousands of years ago to transport food supplies and people across snow and ice,” says Claire DelNegro, VP of Sport for the International Luge Federation.

According to the of the Adirondack Luge Club in Lake Placid, N.Y.—one of America’s top luge hubs—sledding enthusiasts would slide down logging roads from alpine forests to nearby villages. Luge made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Innsbruck Games in Austria.

Germany has long dominated the sport, boasting numerous school programs to train the next generation of athletes. Before the , East Germany and West Germany each had their own tracks, and “there was a lot of competition between just those two countries,” says Ron Rossi, who competed in men’s doubles luge at the 1984 in Sarajevo.

Notable luge athletes

At 38, Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger is widely recognized as the most decorated Olympic luge athlete, holding seven medals—including six golds in Singles and Relay events. Geisenberger retired from the sport in 2023.

German star Singles luge athlete became the sixth person in Winter Olympic history to win the same individual event three times at the 1998 Nagano Games in Japan. He has three Olympic gold medals in Singles events to his name. 

When Italy’s won bronze at the 2014 , he made history as the first athlete to earn six medals across six consecutive Winter Olympic Games (1994–2014). Known by the nicknames “the ice-blooded champion” and “the cannibal,” he amassed six Olympic medals, including two golds.

American doubles partners Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin are considered the most decorated USA Luge athletes, with over 75 international medals—including an Olympic silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games and a bronze at the 1998 Nagano Games.

The skill of the game

The goal is simple: “Get down the hill as fast as you can,” says Gordy Sheer, a three-time Olympian with a 1998 Olympic silver medal in men’s doubles who now serves as a marketing director for USA Luge. The winner is the athlete who completes the run from start to finish in the fastest time.

However, making that journey isn’t easy. In singles, athletes steer using their shoulders and feet; in doubles, the athlete at the back handles shoulder steering, while the front athlete manages foot steering. 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that luge athletes just lie back and do nothing. As DelNegro explains: “I like to compare it to telling somebody to get on skis and go down a double black diamond if you’ve never skied before and don’t know how to steer.”

Zack DiGregorio, a 2022 Olympian, points out that luge athletes “who look like they’re doing nothing are normally the fastest.” Fellow 2022 Olympian Sean Hollander says they do extensive shoulder strength training in the gym, plus bodyweight jumps, medicine ball workouts, and volleyball as cross-training to practice the quick movements needed for steering and takeoff. Hollander describes the starting line effort: “You have to be in this very explosive, full attack mode because that’s the only part of the run where you can accelerate yourself. Then as soon as you push off and finish the start, you have to relax into a flow state—all of this happens within three seconds.”

Sheer explains that luge athletes must master guiding their sled within about an inch of “an imaginary perfect line” down the track: “It’s not like it’s spray-painted red for you to follow. You have to know it, feel it, and stay very relaxed. You have to fight the urge to lift your head, because that creates aerodynamic drag. And all of this is happening at speeds potentially over 90 mph, so you’re processing a ton of information as you slide down the hill. That’s what’s really going on when you watch an athlete on the sled.”

When asked why people should try luge instead of skiing or snowboarding, DiGregorio cites adrenaline, calling it “a roller coaster you can control.” DelNegro argues it has a natural appeal: “Every kid knows how to get on a sled and slide down a hill for fun, so to me, it’s the most natural sport to get into.”