Luge

Hi Friends
How was your weekend?
Mine was OK. I didn't do anything but lying in bed. ;)
So as i promised, here is another sporty post, enjoy :)

Luge

Luge, which takes its name from the French word for sled, is one of the fastest Olympic sports, with riders exceeding 90 mph.
A Luge is a very dangerous sport, it's small one- or two-person sled, on an ice-covered course, on which the slider lies on his or her back on a flat sled, feet first, and then pulls himself or herself forward to start the run. The slider then angles his or her body to steer down the course on the sled, which can reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.

Luge Sled

At the start of the luge course, there are two handles, one on each side of the track. The slider grabs these handles and rocks back and forth to build momentum for the start. They may also run with calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat later, leaving the handles behind, it may help them to run faster. Higher weight is an advantage in luge. If a slider crosses the finish line without his sled he is disqualified.
Luge is timed using photoelectric sensors at the start and finish. At the start, the slider triggers the timer when he crosses the line because he blocks the light beam. At the finish line, he stops the timer the same way.

The track for the men's luge competition is 1,450 meters long, and 1,198 meters for the women's and doubles luge events.

There are actually two types of luge: 

• Natural Track (Sled) - made of packed snow and ice
• Artificial Track (Sled) - the track is steeper and has high-banked turns

Equipments includes:

• Luge sled
• A racing suit
• Gloves
• Boots and
• A helmet.

There are four luge disciplines:

• Men’s singles
• Men’s doubles
• Women’s singles
• Team Relay (Olympic discipline starting in 2014)

You can watch the video below -

I hope you like the post :)
Take Care 





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Video courtesy: 1