Frank Luck

Frank Luck (born 5 December 1967) is a German and, before 1990, East German former biathlete.

Frank Luck

Luck in 2005
Personal information
Born	(1967-12-05) 5 December 1967 (age 57) Schmalkalden, East Germany
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	WSV Oberhof O5
Skis	Fischer
World Cup debut	18 January 1987
Retired	13 February 2004
Olympic Games
Teams	4 (1988, 1994, 1998, 2002)
Medals	5 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	15 (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Medals	20 (11 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	18 (1986/87–2003/04)
Individual victories	12
Individual podiums	39
Overall titles	0
Discipline titles	2: 2 Individual (1999–00, 2001–02)
Medal record Men's biathlon Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1994 Lillehammer 4 × 7.5 km relay 1998 Nagano 4 × 7.5 km relay 1994 Lillehammer 20 km individual 2002 Salt Lake City 20 km individual 2002 Salt Lake City 4 × 7.5 km relay World Championships 1991 Lahti 4 × 7.5 km relay 1993 Borovets Team event 1995 Antholz-Anterselva 4 × 7.5 km relay 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 4 × 7.5 km relay 1999 Kontiolahti 10 km sprint 2000 Oslo 12.5 km pursuit 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 7.5 km relay 2004 Oberhof 4 × 7.5 km relay 1991 Lahti 10 km sprint 1996 Ruhpolding 4 × 7.5 km relay 1997 Brezno-Osrblie Team event 1998 Hochfilzen Team event 1999 Kontiolahti 12.5 km pursuit 1993 Borovets 4 × 7.5 km relay 2000 Oslo 20 km individual 2000 Lahti 4 × 7.5 km relay Representing  East Germany World Championships 1989 Feistritz an der Drau 10 km sprint 1989 Feistritz an der Drau 4 × 7.5 km relay 1990 Oslo Team event 1990 Kontiolahti 4 × 7.5 km relay

Career

Luck started early with cross-country skiing, but in 1980 he went over to biathlon. By 1988 at the age of 21 he had already qualified for the Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he finished sixth in the sprint event. His big breakthrough came with the 10 km sprint world title in 1989. Having originally competed for the East German team, by 1991, Germany had unified and Luck was now competing for the combined Germany team. Because of illness he missed the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, but at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer he won the gold medal with the German relay team which he repeated four years later at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. During his seventeen-year career, Luck won eleven world championship gold medal with the last one in the relay in 2004 at Oberhof where he retired as a biathlete after this event. With five silver and three bronze medals he is one of the most successful world championship competitors of all time.

Luck also won three times at the Holmenkollen ski festival biathlon competition with two wins in the pursuit (1999, 2000) and one win in the sprint (2002). He is the Brother-in-law to his one-time teammate Sven Fischer.

Doping

In April 2009, Luck, on the German TV show Sport Inside (WDR), acknowledged having unwittingly been given the anabolic steroid Oral Turinabol by his trainer in the 1980s.^[1][2]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.^[3]

Olympic Games

5 medals (2 gold, 3 silver)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Relay
1988 Calgary	—	6th	—	—
1994 Lillehammer	Silver	6th	—	Gold
1998 Nagano	—	7th	—	Gold
2002 Salt Lake City	Silver	29th	11th	Silver

*Pursuit was added as an event in 2002.

World Championships

20 medals (11 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Team	Relay
1989 Feistritz	4th	Gold	—	—	—	Gold
1990 Minsk	6th	5th	—	—	Gold	Bronze
1991 Lahti	—	Silver	—	—	—	Gold
1992 Novosibirsk	—	—	—	—	7th	—
1993 Borovets	10th	—	—	—	Gold	Bronze
1995 Antholz-Anterselva	11th	7th	—	—	—	Gold
1996 Ruhpolding	8th	33rd	—	—	6th	Silver
1997 Brezno-Osrblie	—	7th	9th	—	Silver	Gold
1998 Pokljuka	—	—	16th	—	Silver	—
1999 Kontiolahti	24th	Gold	Silver	20th	—	4th
2000 Oslo Holmenkollen	Bronze	4th	Gold	17th	—	Bronze
2001 Pokljuka	—	11th	17th	22nd	—	12th
2002 Oslo Holmenkollen	—	—	—	6th	—	—
2003 Khanty-Mansiysk	36th	30th	5th	17th	—	Gold
2004 Oberhof	—	—	—	—	—	Gold

*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.

**Team was removed as an event in 1998, and pursuit was added in 1997 with mass start being added in 1999.

Individual victories

12 victories (1 In, 9 Sp, 2 Pu)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level
1988–89 2 victories (2 Sp)	17 December 1988	Albertville	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	11 February 1989	Feistritz	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Championships
1990–91 1 victory (1 Sp)	2 February 1991	Oberhof	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
1992–93 1 victory (1 Sp)	6 March 1993	Lillehammer	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
1993–94 1 victory (1 Sp)	22 January 1994	Antholz-Anterselva	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
1997–98 2 victories (2 Sp)	6 December 1997	Lillehammer	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	5 March 1998	Pokljuka	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
1998–99 2 victories (1 Sp, 1 Pu)	12 February 1999	Kontiolahti	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Championships
	14 March 1999	Oslo Holmenkollen	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
1999–2000 1 victory (1 Pu)	20 February 2000	Oslo Holmenkollen	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
2001–02 2 victories (1 In, 1 Sp)	19 December 2001	Brezno-Osrblie	20 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	21 March 2002	Oslo Holmenkollen	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup

*Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.