“Schorsch” Hackl made toboggan racing popular in Germany. The three-time Olympic champion is now working for the Austrians and will meet his old team at the weekend. For Felix Loch in particular, seeing his old mentor again will be something very special.
Even Hackl Schorsch, after more than 35 years in luge, does not leave him cold. When the World Cup kicks off in Innsbruck at the weekend, Germany’s most popular and well-known tobogganist is on the other side of the competition’s coaching team. “Of course it’s a very special start for me because I’ve been with the German association my whole life,” said the 56-year-old of the German Press Agency.
Since May 1st, Georg Hackl, who won everything with the German team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, has been working for the strongest competitor of the German national luge team and is now the coach for driving and sledding technique for the Austrians. Hackl is excited about the new task and the first race. “We’ve been working all summer and now the first big rehearsal is coming up at the weekend. We’ll see where we stand with the Austrians. It’ll be exciting,” said the Olympic champion from 1992, 1994 and 1998.
The surprise about the change has long since subsided in the German team. “Of course it’s a sporting rivalry now, but I see it as a big toboggan family,” explained Hackl. “The first week or two after he told us, we had to sort ourselves out a bit,” said his long-time companion Felix Loch in “Sport Bild”. “We didn’t part badly, although I still don’t understand the decision to change. We’ll definitely talk normally – just not about sleds anymore,” emphasizes Loch. But the absence is “not noticeable,” says Loch, appearing almost a little defiant: “We definitely haven’t deteriorated. We now have new approaches.”
The change comes in a complicated phase for German luge, because the clear lead over the opponents from Austria, Latvia, Italy and Russia has been used up. Especially for the men, there are also personal reasons: Johannes Ludwig, who has been reliable for years, surprisingly won Olympic gold nine months ago in Beijing – and resigned. And Loch, who used to toboggan easily from victory to victory, has fluctuated significantly in his performance for years.
Last season wasn’t a big one for him either. In the World Cup he remained without a win, at the Olympics he missed the podium in fourth place. Anyone who sees Loch these days, however, might think that he has made something else. Loch spent a lot of time on his racing bike in the summer, lost a lot of weight and seems downright wiry. He was recently asked whether he was fitter than ever: “I’m lighter than ever,” he said with a laugh. For Rodel-Germany it should be a hole again, with the less experienced Max Langenhan (23) and David Nößler (21) starting next to him. A young team is also starting the season for women, Olympic champion Natalie Geisenberger (34) is expecting her second child. Excited to look at Merle Fräbel. The 19-year-old put the established competition in the shade in the internal qualification.
Hackl didn’t look for the jump. “The Austrians have been asking me for years. Because I retired from the Bundeswehr for reasons of age, I was free,” explained the technology expert. Association President Markus Prock is not only Hackl’s old racing rival, but also a friend. “I didn’t make the decision easy for myself. I thought, Schorsch, now you have the chance to do something new for once in your life. The timing was ideal, so I didn’t leave any unfinished tasks behind. And I was made a decent offer in terms of earnings and leisure time,” said Hackl. In addition, he could develop technically. “I see the potential that the Austrians have”. Friend Prock also recognizes this: “In the medium term, we want to overtake the toboggan powerhouse Germany and become number one.”
“Many are happy for me, but of course I go with a crying eye. Now the goal is to top the results of the German lugers more often,” said Hackl. Of course, his former pupil Felix Loch will counter that. “In terms of rail technology, we are well positioned at home with very good toolmakers and precision mechanics. That’s why I’m not at all worried that the successful results should change,” Loch said, adding: “Honestly: Up until now, nobody has missed the Schorsch .”