Athlete Bios
Luge
Zoeggeler looks for fifth individual medal in five Olympics
Last Updated: Monday, February 8, 2010 | 9:47 AM ET
New York Times for CBC Sports
Italy's Armin Zoeggeler has four Olympic medals and is hungry for more. (Norbert Millauer/Getty Images)Armin Zoeggeler of Italy won the luge junior World Cup at 14 and has not stopped piling up medals since. His lengthy Olympic résumé includes two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in singles luge. He has also won five World Cup titles.
For good reason, Zoeggeler, who will be 36 when the Olympics begin, is considered one of the best ever in his sport. He got his start by practising on the hills near his hometown, Meran, and ascended even though Italy did not have a top-flight track until the construction of the Cesana Pariol for the 2006 Turin Games.
Those Olympics put additional pressure on Zoeggeler as the hometown favourite, but he did not disappoint, becoming the first Italian to win a gold medal.
Zoeggeler won his first Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, where he ended the Olympic winning streak of Georg Hackl of Germany at three.
Zoeggeler won his first Olympic medal at his debut in the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, finishing with bronze. He is the only Italian to win a medal in four straight Olympics.
When not training, Zoeggeler is a policeman. In his spare time, he enjoys mountain biking. His nickname is Il Cannibale (the Cannibal), because of his hunger to win.
If Zoeggeler wins a medal at Vancouver, he will match Hackl as the only athlete to win a medal in the same individual event in five Olympics.
