Martina Kocher

Martina Kocher (born 14 March 1985 in Biel/Bienne) is a Swiss former luger who competed between 1999 and 2018. She is Switzerland's most successful luger.[1] She first slid on a luge at the age of nine at St. Moritz, after taking an interest in the sport when her father Heinz, a former bobsledder-turned-coach of bobsleigh and luge, took her along to a training course he was leading.[2]

Martina Kocher

Medal record
Women's luge
Representing   Switzerland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 KönigsseeSprint
Silver medal – second place2016 KönigsseeSingles
Silver medal – second place2017 IglsSprint

Competing in four Winter Olympics,[3] she earned her best finish of seventh in the women's singles event at Vancouver in 2010. She also took ninth places on her Olympic debut at the 2006 Games at Cesana Pariol and at the 2014 Olympics at Sanki,[4] and was 11th at her final Games, the 2018 Games at the Alpensia Sliding Centre.[3]

From 2014 until her retirement, Kocher broke away from the Swiss Sledding Association's set-up, organising her own coaching and support team, being coached by her father and former luger Stefan Höhener. For many years she trained alongside the German luge team.[1][2]

At the 2016 FIL World Luge Championships at Königssee, Kocher took the gold medal in the sprint and the silver in the full length singles event. At the following year's World Championships at Innsbruck, she finished second in the sprint.[4] The latter result was considered a surprise as the short track at Innsbruck was not considered to suit Kocher, who was by far the lightest luger in top-level competition during her career.[2][1] Her best finish at the FIL European Luge Championships was eighth in the women's singles event at Sigulda in 2010. Despite her World Championship success, she never achieved a Luge World Cup podium:[1] her best World Cup result was a fourth place in Königssee in January 2018.[5]

In August 2018 Kocher announced her retirement from competition, becoming a teacher for teenagers with behavioural problems.[1]

References
  1. Rindlisbacher, Philipp (29 August 2018). "«Es ist Zeit für ein neues Leben»" ["It's time for a new life"]. Berner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  2. Rindlisbacher, Philipp (15 November 2017). "Martina Kocher: Eine für den einen Tag" [Martina Kocher: One for the big occasion]. Thuner Tagblatt (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. "Platz 11 – der grosse Frust der Rodlerin Martina Kocher" [11th place - the great frustration of luger Martina Kocher]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. "Die Spezialistin für die Grossanlässe" [The Specialist for Major Events]. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). 11 February 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  5. "Wintersport: Kocher mit Weltcup-Bestresultat" [Winter Sports: Kocher with World Cup best result]. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). 6 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
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