Markus Prock

Markus Prock (born 22 June 1964) is an Austrian luger who competed between 1983 and 2002. Born in Innsbruck, Prock competed in six Winter Olympics winning three medals in the men's singles event with two silvers (1992, 1994) and one bronze (2002).

Markus Prock

Prock in 2019
Medal record
Men's luge
Representing  Austria
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place1992 AlbertvilleMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1994 LillehammerMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place2002 Salt Lake CityMen's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1987 IglsMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1996 AltenbergMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1996 AltenbergMixed team
Gold medal – first place1997 IglsMixed team
Gold medal – first place1999 KönigsseeMixed team
Silver medal – second place1990 CalgaryMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1991 WinterbergMixed team
Silver medal – second place1993 CalgaryMixed team
Silver medal – second place1997 IglsMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1991 WinterbergMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1995 LillehammerMen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1995 LillehammerMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2000 St. MoritzMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2001 CalgaryMen's singles
World Cup Championships
Gold medal – first place1987-88 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1990-91 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1991-92 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1992-93 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1993-94 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1994-95 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1995-96 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1996-97 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place1998-99 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place2001-02 Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1984-85 Men's singles
Silver medal – second place1989-90 Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place1986-87 Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place2000-01 Men's singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1994 KönigsseeMen's singles
Gold medal – first place1998 OberhofMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2002 AltenbergMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1988 KönigsseeMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1990 IglsMen's singles
Silver medal – second place1992 WinterbergMixed team
Silver medal – second place1996 SiguldaMixed team
Bronze medal – third place1994 KönigsseeMixed team
Bronze medal – third place1998 OberhofMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2002 AltenbergMixed team

Prock grew up in the village of Mieders in the Stubaital. His parents managed a petrol station and a pension.[1] He competed in several sports in his youth, ski racing, playing football and sprinting, achieving personal bests of 22.8s for the 200m and 50.9s for the 400m whilst in high school.[2] He took up luge after racing in a competition for teenagers held at Igls.[1]

Prock was known for his rivalry with Georg Hackl, with Prock being dominant in World Cup competition whilst Hackl consistently achieved success at the Winter Olympics. Prock was noted for his athleticism and his powerful start.[2]

At the FIL World Luge Championships, Prock won 13 medals, including five gold (Men's singles: 1987, 1996; Mixed team: 1996, 1997, 1999), four silvers (Men's singles: 1990, 1997; Mixed team: 1991, 1993), and four bronzes (Men's singles: 1995, 2001; Mixed team: 1995, 2001).

Prock won ten medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with five in men's singles (gold: 1994, 1998, 2002; silver: 1988, 1990) and five medals in the mixed team event (silver: 1992, 1996; bronze: 1994, 1998, 2002).

He also won the overall Luge World Cup ten times in men's singles (1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2001–02).

After retiring from competition, Prock was appointed as sporting director of the Austrian Luge Federation in 2002.[3] He left this role in November 2018, when he was elected as the Federation's president, receiving 88 percent of the vote in the Federation's national conference in Semmering, Austria.[4]

He is the father of luger Hannah Prock.[5] He also manages his nephew, Gregor Schlierenzauer, who was second in the 2006–07 Ski jumping World Cup entering the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in Sapporo, Japan. Schlierenzauer won a gold in the team large hill at those championships.

References
  1. McCallum, Jack (27 January 1988). "Going Feet First". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  2. Layden, Tim (9 February 1998). "Born To Luge Georg Hackl is a techno whiz, Markus Prock is a natural athlete. The Olympics have belonged to Hackl, the World Cup circuit to Prock. Now, the final act of one of the greatest, if most obscure, rivalries in sports is about to begin". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. Datler, Markku (8 February 2014). "Im Eiskanal werden Kinderträume wahr" [On the sledding track children's dreams come true]. Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  4. "Prock zum neuen Präsidenten des Rodelverbands gewählt" [Prock elected the new president of the luge federation]. Tiroler Tageszeitung (in German). 6 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  5. "Family Business". Australian Olympic Committee (in German). 9 February 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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