Winter Olympics 2018: Guide to luge

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger won gold in the women's singles and mixed-team event at Sochi in 2014

How it works

Competitors hurtle feet first down an ice track on a tiny sled at speeds in excess of 80mph. There are four runs in the men's and women's events, two in the doubles and one in the relay; the lowest aggregate time wins. Athletes steer with their legs and shoulders; the smallest error can be costly - luge is the only sliding sport timed to one thousandth of a second, a change made after a 1972 dead heat for gold.

Anything new since Sochi 2014?

No changes.

British prospects

AJ Rosen finished 16th in the men's singles event at both the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 2010 Games in Vancouver

Despite enjoying huge success in skeleton, Great Britain has not embraced its sister sport luge. AJ Rosen will be competing in his third Games, hoping to improve on his previous best of 16th.

Who to look out for

Any athlete who makes the German luge team is a medal prospect. Half of the 28 Olympic singles events ever held have produced German one-twos. Germany enjoyed a clean sweep of the titles in Sochi and all of those gold medallists will be in South Korea, including singles champions Felix Loch and Natalie Geisenberger.

Pub bore

Luge gets an unlikely namecheck in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery when Dr Evil reveals in a therapy session that he had lessons in the sport as a child. "My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring, we'd make meat helmets."

Great Britain's medallists

None (highest position: 14th - Derek Prentice & Chris Dyason; doubles, 1980).

How do I get involved?

Fancy giving luge a go? Take a look at this Get Inspired guide.