Natalie GEISENBERGER

BABY BREAK
Announced in October 2019 that she would not race during the 2019/20 season due to pregnancy. Gave birth to her first child, Leo, in May 2020. After 18 months away from the sport, she returned to training in September, and won her first race back at the Nations Cup in Innsbruck in November. Travels with Leo, with her husband and father caring for her son while she competes. Plans to retire if competition gets in the way of motherhood.

“I want to be the best mum for my son and also do competitive sports. I always said that I would only do it if the little one took part. If there had been problems with driving or travelling, then I would definitely have left it. I can't imagine being away for months, seeing him briefly at Christmas and then the next time in March. My mother's heart just can't do that.” (tag24.de, 5 Dec 2020; Facebook, 7 Sep 2020)

SUNSHINE TRAINING GROUP
Childhood friends with fellow German lugers Felix Loch, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. Trained together, under Loch’s father Norbert, and call themselves the "Sunshine Training Group." Norbert Loch, the current German national team coach, said, “Sunshine means that they are having fun despite the hard training effort. If one of them falters a bit, the others carry him along.” (fil-luge.org, May 2014)

© Data by Sports Data Warehouse

Has won two gold medals (singles, team relay) at the past three Olympic Winter Games. With her bronze medal in singles from Vancouver 2010, she is the most decorated luger at the Olympic Winter Games, passing Armin Zoeggeler's (ITA) record of six at Beijing 2022.

Along with doubles teammates Tobias Arlt/Tobias Wendl (GER), holds the record for most gold medals in the sport with six. Geisenberger, Arlt, and Wendl have won the most gold medals for an athlete representing Germany at an Olympic Winter Games.

Won gold in singles at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games by 1.139 seconds, the second-biggest margin of victory at an Olympic Winter Games. Ortrun Enderlein (EUA) won the same event by 2.75 seconds at Innsbruck in 1964.

Most decorated female luger, with nine World Championships gold medals (16 medals total), one more than compatriot Tatjana Huefner (eight gold, 11 total).

Record eight World Cup titles (seven consecutive from 2012/13 to 2018/19) and 51 singles World Cup victories. The only other luger to win seven-straight World Cup titles is Austria's Markus Prock from 1990/91 to 1996/97. Has finished in the top-three in the season-ending standings for 13 of the past 14 seasons, with the lone exception of 2019/20 during her baby break.