Athlete Bios
Bobsleigh
Germany's Lange set to complete Olympic career
Last Olympics for German who won gold in 2-man, 4-man events at 2006 Games
Last Updated: Friday, February 5, 2010 | 3:10 PM ET
New York Times for CBC Sports
Germany's Andre Lange, right, celebrates after winning gold in the four-man bobsleigh event at the 2006 Olympics. (Eric Feferberg/Getty Images)Andre Lange of Germany began his sliding career in luge but concluded that he was not skilled enough to compete at an international level. At 19, he switched to the bobsled. He won the junior world title in the four-man competition five years after picking up the sport.
The transition has continued to pay off. Lange, 36, captured gold in the two-man and four-man events at the 2006 Turin Games. He became the first driver since Wolfgang Hoppe of East Germany in 1984 to win gold in both events.
Lange won his first gold in the four-man competition during his Olympic debut at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. In all, he has taken home medals 14 times in world championships, including eight top finishes.
He faces hurdles in his bid to repeat. He has been sidelined with a groin injury and struggled for much of the 2008-09 season with injuries to himself and his crew and equipment malfunctions. Lange, who lives in Suhl, Germany, with his wife and two children, plans to retire after these Olympics.
"I'm still hungry for titles," Lange told The Associated Press after taking the silver medal in the four-man event at last year's world championships. "But it's over after Vancouver in 2010."
