Lorenz Koller

With six world and European medals and a top-four Olympic finish to his name, Austria’s Lorenz Koller is emerging as one of the big names of world luging. Along with his doubles partner Thomas Steu, Koller has seen his career mature over the past few years, the pair rising through the ranks to become regulars on the podium of every major tournament. They will doubtless be favourites for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Koller was born in 1994 in Innsbruck, one of the largest cities in Austria. Like his doubles partner, he initially stepped onto the world luge stage as a singles competitor, appearing at his first World Junior Championships when he was just 15 years old. He and Steu competed together for the first time at the European Junior Championships in January 2012, showing immediate returns with a bronze medal. Although Koller continued competing in both the singles and doubles for another year, by the start of the 2013/14 season, he was focused on his doubles partnership, which was bringing medals in the European and World Junior Championships and wins in the Junior World Cup.

The pairs senior career began in earnest with the 2014/15 season. Their rankings improved steadily until they achieved their breakthrough, winning silver as part of the Austrian relay team at the 2017 European Championships. The following year saw them take part in their first Winter Olympics. Heartbreakingly, they finished a fraction of a second away from a bronze medal (and less than a second behind the gold medallists). They responded with their most successful season to date, winning three medals at the World Championships and triumphing in three World Cup races.