Ludwig takes Germany back to gold in dominant men's singles display

YANQING, China: Johannes Ludwig sped to gold in the luge men's singles, restoring Germany's Olympic primacy in the sport, after a blistering series of runs that twice broke the track record at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre.

After setting the pace in the first two rounds on Saturday, Ludwig's third run on Sunday set a record of 57.043 seconds, giving him a time of 3:48.735 overall.

Austria's Wolfgang Kindl was 0.160 seconds behind, claiming silver, while Italy's Dominik Fischnaller took bronze, 0.951 seconds behind, on the serpentine track in the hills north of Beijing.

World Cup champion Ludwig, 35, took bronze at the Pyeongchang Olympics four years ago in an event where Germany have dominated.

Austria's David Gleirscher, who took the Olympic gold from the Germans in Pyeongchang, finished only 15th on Sunday, while American Chris Mazdzer, the silver medallist last time, was eighth.

Ludwig's compatriot Felix Loch, who took gold in Vancouver and Sochi, had been seeking a return to form after a disastrous fourth-round mistake derailed his medal hopes in Pyeongchang. But the 32-year-old fell just short of the medal positions in fourth place.

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