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KEY ATTRIBUTESÒTo be successful in luge, you firstly canÕt have any anxiety about the speed youÕre travelling at. You also need to be physically strong, especially in the upper body, and you must have good reactions. It helps to have a good base of technical knowledge as well, to help you build a fast sled. Luge is very mentally exhausting because often one thousandth of a second is critical, and I would say that 50 per cent of the time it is decided in your head.ÓDOWN TIMEÒAway from sport, my family, friends and my dog are a big mental help for me. We mostly find a good balance between relaxing and having fun. In my spare time I love swimming in lakes, going up mountains or eating in nice restaurants.ÓÒWhen I was younger, Georg ÔSchorschÕ Hackl was a hero of mine. I remember watching on TV when he won the luge at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998 and thinking to myself that I wanted a gold medal too. Now, he is my coach and I have two gold medals of my own. ItÕs funny to think about things like that.ÓINSPIRATIONNATALIE GEISENBERGERAGE: 28 SPORT: LUGE EVENT: SINGLES, MIXED TEAM NOC: GERMANYKEY ACHIEVEMENTS: 2x OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST; 7x WORLD CHAMPIONSPEED ÒLuge is a very fast and dynamic sport. We try to be very explosive at the start when weÕre sitting on our sleds. We have spikes on our gloves, so we can use them to accelerate as much as possible, then we lie on our backs and slide down an artificial ice track at speeds of up to 140 km/h. We wear special shoes, a tiny suit and our only protection is the helmet.Ó56 OLYMPIC REVIEW DESTINATION PYEONGCHANG