Georg Hackl
Hackl in 2018
Personal information
NicknameHackl Schorsch
NationalityGerman
Born (1966-09-09) 9 September 1966[1]
Berchtesgaden,[1] Bavaria,
 West Germany
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Weight79 kg (174 lb)[2]
Sport
Country Germany
Sport Luge
Event(s)Men's singles, Men's doubles
ClubRC Berchtesgaden[2]
Coached byGermany Josef Lenz
Retired2006
Medal record
Men's Luge
Representing  West Germany
and  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1992 Albertville Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1994 Lillehammer Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1998 Nagano Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1988 Calgary Men's singles
Silver medal – second place2002 Salt Lake City Men's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1989 WinterbergMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1990 CalgaryMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1991 WinterbergMixed team
Gold medal – first place1993 CalgaryMixed team
Gold medal – first place1995 LillehammerMixed team
Gold medal – first place1997 IglsMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2000 St. MoritzMixed team
Gold medal – first place2001 CalgaryMixed team
Gold medal – first place2003 SiguldaMixed team
Gold medal – first place2005 Park CityMixed team
Silver medal – second place1987 IglsMen's doubles
Silver medal – second place1991 WinterbergMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1993 CalgaryMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1995 LillehammerMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1996 AltenbergMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1996 AltenbergMixed team
Silver medal – second place1997 IglsMixed team
Silver medal – second place2001 CalgaryMen's singles
Silver medal – second place2004 NaganoMen's singles
Silver medal – second place2005 Park CityMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1999 KönigsseeMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2000 St. MoritzMen's singles
World Cup Championships
Gold medal – first place1988–89Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1989–90Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1986–87Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place1987–88Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place1990–91Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1992–93Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1998–99Men's singles
Silver medal – second place2000–01Men's singles
Silver medal – second place2002–03Men's singles
Silver medal – second place2003–04Men's singles
Silver medal – second place2004–05Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place1985–86Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place1989–90Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place1991–92Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place1993–94Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place1995–96Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place1999–2000Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place2001–02Men's singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1988 KönigsseeMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1990 IglsMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1988 KönigsseeMixed team
Gold medal – first place1992 WinterbergMixed team
Gold medal – first place1996 SiguldaMixed team
Gold medal – first place2000 WinterbergMixed team
Gold medal – first place2002 AltenbergMixed team
Silver medal – second place1990 IglsMixed team
Silver medal – second place1994 KönigsseeMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1994 KönigsseeMixed team
Silver medal – second place2000 WinterbergMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1992 WinterbergMen's singles
Men's Wok
World Wok Racing Championships
Gold medal – first place2004 InnsbruckMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2005 WinterbergMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2007 InnsbruckMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2008 AltenbergMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2009 WinterbergMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2010 OberhofMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2011 InnsbruckMen's singles
Silver medal – second place2006 InnsbruckMen's singles
Silver medal – second place2008 AltenbergFour-man

Georg Hackl (German pronunciation: [ˈhakl̩ ʃɔʁʃ] ⓘ; born 9 September 1966), often named Hackl Schorsch, is a German former luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion. He is known affectionately as Hackl-Schorsch or as the Speeding Weißwurst a reference to what he looks like in his white bodysuit coming down the luge at fast speeds.

Biography

Hackl was born in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. He took up luge as part of his physical education lessons whilst at school, learning to slide at the Königssee track.[3]

Hackl was known for his rivalry with Markus Prock, with Prock being dominant in World Cup competition whilst Hackl consistently achieved success at the Winter Olympics. Although Hackl was not as natural an athlete as Prock, he was noted as being extremely skilled at setting up his sled to suit particular ice conditions on a given day. In addition his coach and former luger Thomas Schwab highlighted Hackl's mental strength as being key to his success.[3]

He won his first Winter Olympic Games luge medal in 1988 in Calgary, when he finished second in the singles event, while placing fourth in the doubles. Four years later, he improved his performance to win the gold, a feat he repeated in 1994 and 1998. In 1998, he won the gold by clocking the fastest time in all four runs, the first in Olympic history in the men's singles to do so (Vera Zozula of the Soviet Union did that feat in the women's singles event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York). That year he was named as German Sportsman of the Year.[4] Hackl won the silver medal again in the 2002 Games, becoming the first Winter Olympian to win a medal in five consecutive Winter Olympics. Most recently, he placed 7th in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Hackl has retired from active participation and got involved in coaching after the 2006 Winter Olympics. He is responsible for a group of German lugers nicknamed the "Sunshine Training Group", alongside Patric Leitner, with Hackl having responsibility for their sleds. Members of the group include Felix Loch, Natalie Geisenberger, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who between them took a clean sweep of the gold medals in luge at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[5][6][7]

Hackl won a total of 22 medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including ten golds (Men's singles: 1989, 1990, 1997; Mixed team: 1991, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005), ten silvers (Men's singles: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2004, 2005; Men's doubles: 1987, Mixed team: 1996, 1997), and two bronzes (Men's singles: 2000, Mixed team: 1999).

Hackl in Oberhof, Germany in 2005

At the FIL European Luge Championships, Hackl won twelve medals. This included seven golds (Men's singles: 1988, 1990; Mixed team: 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002), four silvers (Men's singles: 1994, 2000; Mixed team: 1990, 1994), and one bronze (Men's singles: 1992).

He won the overall Luge World Cup title in men's singles twice (1988–9, 1989–90) and also had his best overall finish of second in men's doubles twice (1986–7, 1987–8).

Hackl is also a nine-time wok racing world champion.

He was inducted into the International Luge Federation's Hall of Fame in 2013.[8]

In 1999, Hackl married his long-term girlfriend, Margit (née Datzmann).[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 FIL-Luge profile Archived 12 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 3 December 2010
  2. 1 2 3 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Georg Hackl". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  3. 1 2 Layden, Tim (9 February 1998). "Born To Luge Georg Hackl is a techno whiz, Markus Prock is a natural athlete. The Olympics have belonged to Hackl, the World Cup circuit to Prock. Now, the final act of one of the greatest, if most obscure, rivalries in sports is about to begin". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Hackl rodelt ins Eheglück" [Hackl slides into marital bliss]. spiegel.de (in German). 16 May 1999. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. ↑ Palmer, Justin (11 February 2014). "Geisenberger wins gold but team discord evident". reuters.com. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Doyle, Amanda (18 July 2013). "Americans hoping to upset German's luge dynasty". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Harder, Wolfgang (May 2014). "All four gold medals go to the "Sunshine Training Group"" (PDF). FIL Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 51. Berchtesgaden, Germany: International Luge Federation. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Georg Hackl: official induction to the "Hall of Fame"". International Luge Federation. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
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