<Tr> <Th> Olympic </Th> <Td> Part of Winter Olympic program in 1964 to 2026 </Td> </Tr> <P> A luge / luːʒ / is a small one - or two - person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet - first . A luger steers by using their calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat . Racing sleds weigh 21--25 kg (46--55 lb) for singles and 25--30 kg (55--66 lb) for doubles . Luge is also the name of an Olympic sport . </P> <P> Lugers can reach speeds of 140 km / h (87 mph). Austrian Manuel Pfister reached a top speed of 154 km / h (96 mph) on a track in Whistler, Canada, prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics . Lugers compete against a timer in one of the most precisely timed sports in the world--to one one - thousandth of a second on artificial tracks . </P> <P> The first recorded use of the term "luge" dates to 1905 and derives from the Savoy / Swiss dialect of the French word luge, meaning "small coasting sled ." </P>

How fast do olympic athletes go in the luge