Mormon Olympian Werner Hoeger (luge)

With less than 10 days left before Torino, 52-year-old Werner Hoeger was back home in Boise, Idaho, instead of being at one of only 16 luge tracks in the world. Resting for a few days, the soon-to-be two-time Olympic athlete was at home reveling in what he misses most during his rigorous, worldwide training: family time. More specifically, he was catching up with an old competitor—his son Chris. Between the two of them, Latter-day Saint father and son Werner and Chris have set a few Olympic records. For one, Werner was the oldest male competitor at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games, and will be for the upcoming Torino games as well. They were also the first father and son to compete against each other in the same event at the same Olympics.

Werner Hoeger took up luge five weeks short of his 45th birthday.  He is a professor of exercise physiology at Boise State University.  He was born December 15, 1953, in Venezuela.  He has authored 44 editions of nine fitness & wellness college textbooks. Since 1990, he has been the most widely read author in this field among colleges and universities in the United States (Wikipedia).

Werner represented Venezuela at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin.  As the only athlete from the country, he was honored to carry Venezuela’s flag.  He competed with his son in Salt Lake City in 2002, the only time a father and son competed together in the Olympics.