Olympic Luge 2026: Loch Faces Setback as Langenhan Leads
Felix Loch, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, faces a significant challenge in the Olympic Luge 2026 competition in Cortina. Once considered a favorite, Loch finds himself in eighth place after the halfway mark of the singles race. His teammate, Max Langenhan, currently leads the pack.
Current Standings in Olympic Luge 2026
Loch, who entered the games as the World Cup overall leader, has struggled throughout the event. After two out of four runs, he trails Langenhan by 0.919 seconds, making his shot at a medal seem increasingly unlikely.
Max Langenhan’s Remarkable Performance
- Langenhan set two new track records with runs of 52.924 seconds and 52.902 seconds.
- He is 0.162 seconds ahead of Austria’s Jonas Müller and 0.298 seconds ahead of Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller.
- With six World Championship titles and two overall World Cup victories, he seeks his first Olympic medal.
In the current standings, Langenhan has a notable lead over fourth-place competitor Kristers Aparjods of Latvia, sitting 0.508 seconds ahead.
Felix Loch’s Challenges
Despite setting a new start record of 3.497 seconds in his first run, Loch made a crucial error early in the race, impacting his performance. His first-run time put him behind Langenhan by nearly half a second.
In his second run, Loch executed a clean start but still lost precious time, placing him on a course for potential disappointment. He remains hopeful with two runs still to go, acknowledging the need for improvement in his setup and execution.
Other Competitors
Timon Grancagnolo, the third German participant, is currently in ninth place. His performances included the eighth-best time in the first run and the tenth best in the second, resulting in a 1.018-second gap behind Langenhan.
The final two runs will determine the standings, where competitors will aim to secure their places on the medal podium.
