Natalie Geisenberger

Natalie Geisenberger
Geisenberger in 2017
Personal information
NationalityGerman
Born (1988-02-05) 5 February 1988[1]
Munich, West Germany[1]
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight78 kg (172 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryGermany
SportLuge
EventSingles
ClubRRT Miesbach
Coached byNorbert Loch
Patric Leitner
Georg Hackl[2]
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
2014 Sochi Singles
2014 Sochi Team relay
2018 Pyeongchang Singles
2018 Pyeongchang Team relay
2022 Beijing Singles
2022 Beijing Team relay
2010 Vancouver Singles
World Championships
2009 Lake Placid Team relay
2013 Whistler Singles
2013 Whistler Team relay
2015 Sigulda Singles
2015 Sigulda Team relay
2016 Königssee Singles
2016 Königssee Team relay
2019 Winterberg Singles
2019 Winterberg Sprint
2008 Oberhof Singles
2009 Lake Placid Singles
2011 Cesana Singles
2016 Königssee Sprint
2021 Königssee Singles
2012 Altenberg Singles
2019 Winterberg Team relay
European Championships
2008 Cesana Singles
2013 Oberhof Singles
2013 Oberhof Team relay
2017 Königssee Singles
2017 Königssee Team relay
2019 Oberhof Singles
2022 St. Moritz Singles
2015 Sochi Singles
2018 Sigulda Singles
2018 Sigulda Team relay
2019 Oberhof Team relay
2021 Sigulda Singles
2022 St. Moritz Team relay
2021 Sigulda Team relay

Natalie Geisenberger (German: [ˈnataliː ˈɡaɪzn̩ˌbɛʁɡɐ] ; born 5 February 1988) is a German luger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest lugers of all time, she is a nine-time World champion and six-time Olympic champion.

Career

She became Olympic Champion in the women's singles event and in the team relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and won a bronze medal in the women's singles event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She subsequently won another individual gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the only woman luger ever to win three individual Olympic gold medals. She is the most successful and decorated female Olympic luger, with five gold medals and one bronze.

Geisenberger has won a total of seven gold, six silver, and one bronze medals at the FIL European Luge Championships. She has also accrued sixteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including nine gold, five silver, and two bronze medals. She is the most decorated and most successful female luger in championship history.

After four consecutive seasons finishing second in the overall classification of the Luge World Cup, she finally won her first title in the 2012–13 season after completing an outstanding scoreboard with six wins and three-second places. She has won a total of 7 world cups in singles and 3 in sprint, both of which are all-time records in women's competitions.

After missing the 2019–20 season because she was having a baby, Geisenberger resumed competing and won the 2020–21 Luge World Cup.

Personal life

At age six, her family moved to the city of Miesbach, where Gert Schabbehard of the local Club RRT Miesbach introduced her to the sport at age 10. After a very successful junior career in which she won 14 Junior World Cup competitions and three Junior World Championships, she was promoted to the senior German team. Her first senior competition was on 20 January 2007 at the Altenberg, Germany World Cup, where she came in second.

Geisenberger is currently a police officer of the German Federal Police at the Sports School in Bad Endorf.

On 1 June 2018, she married Markus Scheer in Schliersee.[3]

In October 2019, she announced that she would not race in 2019–20 season due to pregnancy. She gave birth to her son Leo in May 2020. In July 2022, she announced that she was pregnant for a second time and subsequently would be missing 2022-23 season.

World Cup

Season Singles Sprint Team relay Points Overall Singles Sprint
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6
2006–07






2


8




127 27th
2007–08
2

3

8

3

2

3

10

4




518 3rd
2008–09
2

4

1

2

2

2

1

2

1




1

1
785 2nd
2009–10
2

1

2

2

2

1

3

1





710 2nd
2010–11
2

2

4

4

1

2

2

3

6



1



680 2nd
2011–12
4

1

6

2

1

3

2

1

4


1


1


3
710 2nd
2012–13
2

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

2


1

1

1

1

855 1st 1st
2013–14
1

1

1

1

1

1

2

1


1

9

1

1

1

3
785 1st 1st
2014–15
1

1

1

1

1

1

5

1

2

1

3

3

1

1

1

1


1080 1st 1st
2015–16
2

4

4

1

3

2

3

4

2

4

4

1
N/A



2


895 1st 1st 2nd
2016–17
1

5

2

4

1

1

1

2

1

3

8

2
N/A

1

2

1

1

1
982 1st 1st 1st
2017–18
1

1

1

3

1

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

2

1

1


DSQ


2
1120 1st 1st 1st
2018–19
1

1

2

2

8

2

2

1

1

1

1

3
N/A
2



3

2

2
1052 1st 1st 1st
2020–21
2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

13

2

2

2
N/A

4



3

CNX
995 1st 1st 2nd
2021–22
26

8

2

4

3

2

4

4

1

6

4

2

3






2
772 3rd 3rd 3rd

Note: Prior to 2020/21 season, to be classified in sprint standings athletes must compete on all sprint events throughout the season.

References

  1. ^ a b c d FIL-Luge profile. Retrieved 9 December 2010
  2. ^ 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. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Olympiasiegerin Natalie Geisenberger als schöne Braut: Ja-Wort am Schliersee". www.merkur.de. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.