Promising German talents in Sochi
Germany pins its hopes on these promising talents at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Germany is a winter sports nation and number one in the all-time medals table for the Winter Olympic Games. At the last contest in Vancouver 2010, the German athletes won 30 medals: ten gold, thirteen silver and seven bronze. And in the gold medal rankings they came second after the host country Canada. But competition is growing. More and more nations are gaining strength and are sometimes focusing on specific disciplines. So which athletes are likely to fulfil German hopes in Sochi?
Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy
The ice-skating duo from Chemnitz is going for gold after winning bronze in Vancouver. If all goes well they will reach the final against the Russian couple Tatjana Wolossoschar and Maxim Trankow. Advantage: the spectacular triple twist and their aura.
Maria Höfl-Riesch
Currently the most successful German woman on skis will enter the race to defend her titles. At Olympia 2010 the athlete from Garmisch-Partenkirchen won gold in the slalom and the combined. Advantage: she likes the slopes in Sochi. She won the Women’s World Cup Downhill there in 2012.
Natalie Geisenberger
The German luger from Munich wants to follow up her World Cup championship and the overall World Cup win with a top podium position in Sochi. Advantage: the sled is a prime German discipline. And Germany’s sled athletes know the course well. They celebrated wins in all of the events at the run-up Olympic trials.
Eric Frenzel
Nordic combined specialist Eric Frenzel was individual world champion in 2011 and 2013, and overall World Cup champion in the 2012/13 season. The results of the Nordic combined team depend on his performance. Advantage: he won the Nordic Combined Triple which was first held in 2013/14 and is in excellent shape.
This is just a small selection. German athletes are often among the regular favourites in biathlon, bob and speed skating.
Winter Olympic Games in Sochi from 7 to 23 February 2014
