Quick Facts
Biography
Sylke Otto (born 7 July 1969 in Karl-Marx-Stadt) is a former German luger who competed from 1991 to 2007. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's singles event in 2002 and 2006.
Otto won twelve medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with six golds (Women's singles: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005; Mixed team: 2003, 2005), three silvers (Mixed team: 1997, 2000, 2001), and three bronzes (Women's singles: 1999, 2004; Mixed team: 1999).
She also won eight medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with five golds (Women's singles: 2000, 2002; Mixed team: 1990, 1992, 2000), two silvers (Women's singles: 1992, Mixed team: 2002), and one bronze (Women's singles: 2004). Otto finished in the top three of the Luge World Cup standings every year from 1999 to 2006, winning the overall title four times (1994-5, 1999–2000, 2002-3, 2003-4). She won a record 37 World Cup races in total during her career.
Retirement
She retired from the sport on 12 January 2007 due to pregnancy. It was also due to a crash suffered at Königssee, Germany the previous week followed by watching the crash of Russia's Albert Demtschenko at Oberhof, Germany that same week. Otto had initially planned on retiring at the World Luge Championships in Igls, Austria (Located southeast of Innsbruck) in February, but her and Demtschenko's accident changed that. She has one daughter Sina born on 29 May 2007. A retirement ceremony for Otto took place prior to the start of the women's singles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany on January 25.
Other information
Otto was one of the torch bearers for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece as it traveled through Berlin, Germany.