by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- After winning his first Olympic gold with four flawless runs in the men's singles event, German luger Max Langenhan said the medal was worth the pain it took to earn it.
"Believe me or not, this thing is heavy around my neck," the 26-year-old said.
Langenhan set the track record in all four runs at the Milan-Cortina Games, but struggled physically throughout the competition, carefully limiting his movements during television interviews at the Cortina Sliding Center.
"I felt great pain before the first day," he said, citing a sore neck that nearly forced him out of the event. "I didn't know if I could start at all."
The problems returned overnight before the second day of racing.
"What kept me fighting was the thought that my family, friends and all my youth coaches are here to support me," he said.
Langenhan said he would like to break his medal into a thousand pieces to share with "these 300 people who made this possible."
As three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch climbed over the track barrier to embrace him, Langenhan said he planned to take Monday off before turning his focus to the team event on Thursday.
"I am dreaming of a chilling day out in the sun," he said, adding that he intends to enjoy time with those who supported him.
"I will try to enjoy it despite the pain," he said. "I must get to that because it is a once-in-a-lifetime moment."
Known for pushing himself to extremes, Langenhan described his best training days as those "when all parts of my body hurt, and my body is in a state of emergency for hours after intense training."
Women's luger Merle Frabel described him as demanding at times.
"He loves to play football. We often do it during our training sessions, but he is so much better than everyone else and sometimes tells us in a strict tone to improve," she said.
Langenhan called football his second passion, saying it helps counter the isolation of individual training.
"I enjoy the team effort," he said. "While tobogganing is up to me, as most training sessions are." ■
