Olympic luge champion Zoeggeler retires

(SportsNetwork.com) – Olympic luge champion Armin Zoeggeler of Italy announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Zoeggeler was the first athlete to win an individual medal in six straight Olympic Games.

Now 40 years old, Zoeggeler won bronze at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, then took silver four years later in Nagano before capturing gold at the 2002 Salt Lake Games and gold again in front of the home fans at the Torino Games in 2006. Bronze medals again followed at the 2010 Vancouver Games and this past February in Sochi.

“Today I am announcing the end of my career as a professional athlete, a decision that had already accrued after the last Olympics,” said Zoeggeler in a statement on the website of the Italian Olympic Committee. “The best memory is definitely the gold medal at Torino in 2006.”

Zoeggeler, the flag bearer for Italy at the Opening Ceremony in Sochi, also won six world championship titles.

Categorized in: Olympics