Australian luger Ferlazzo set to compete in his third Winter Olympics at Beijing 2022

LONDON - Luge athlete Alex Ferlazzo will become the first person to represent Australia at three Olympic Winter Games at Beijing 2022.

What is perhaps even more fascinating is that 26-year-old Ferlazzo is from Australia's tropical Queensland - more famous for producing surfing champions, thousands of kilometers from Australia's southern snow resorts and in a country (and hemisphere) that does not have a luge track.

Ferlazzo grew up practising on the road, eventually graduating to spending six months of the year in Park City, Utah of the United States, and six months back home with his family and friends in Townsville, where he continues to practise on the road.

He became a Youth Olympian after competing at the first Youth Olympic Games in 2012 in Innsbruck. By 19, he had won the Junior World Cup in Whistler, Canada, becoming the first athlete from Australia to take home victory in an International Luge Federation (FIL) race, and became Australia's fourth athlete to compete in Olympic luge at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Ferlazzo went on to represent Australia at his second Olympics at PyeongChang 2018, where he improved on his result to finish 28th - Australia's top male result.

"I've always loved sport, from soccer to cliff diving, so when I first started wheeled sliding it felt like a natural fit for me," said Ferlazzo.

"I love adventure, so now being able to spend six months of the year in Utah and then come back to my family and friends in the sunshine is a great feeling."

The luge athletes qualifying for Beijing have had a particularly testing time into the Olympics due to the pandemic, especially Ferlazzo, who relies on being able to travel to Utah to train.

Not only that - while several of this year's Winter Games athletes traveled to Beijing to familiarise with the venues, the lugers were actually required to compete on the brand new Yanqing National Sliding Center luge track as part of this year's World Cup series that doubled as a qualifier for Beijing 2022.

"I've started meditating," said Ferlazzo. "I would normally spend hours lying on my bed visualizing every twist and turn of every luge track I compete on around the world.

"Meditating during the forced break from luge in the pandemic has really helped me - I've found sliding is like riding a bike, you can jump back on easily."

Ferlazzo's meditation techniques and positivity have had a lasting effect on his skills - he is now ranked higher than any of his previous World Cup seasons heading into an Olympic Games.