{{Short description|German luger}} {{use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{MedalTableTop|IMG 1409 Sylke Otto det.jpg|220px|Otto in 2012}} {{MedalSport|Women's luge}} {{MedalCountry| {{GER}}}} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalGold|2002 Salt Lake City|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2006 Turin|Women's singles}} {{MedalCompetition | World Championships }} {{MedalGold|2000 St. Moritz|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2001 Calgary|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2003 Sigulda|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2003 Sigulda|Mixed team}} {{MedalGold|2005 Park City|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2005 Park City|Mixed team}} {{MedalSilver|1997 Igls|Mixed team}} {{MedalSilver|2000 St. Moritz|Mixed team}} {{MedalSilver|2001 Calgary|Mixed team}} {{MedalBronze|1999 Königssee|Women's singles}} {{MedalBronze|1999 Königssee|Mixed team}} {{MedalBronze|2004 Nagano|Women's singles}} {{MedalCompetition | World Cup Championships }} {{MedalGold|1994-95|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|1999-00|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2002-03|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2003-04|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|1998-99|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|2000-01|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|2001-02|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|2005-06|Women's singles}} {{MedalBronze|2004-05|Women's singles}} {{MedalCompetition | European Championships }} {{MedalGold|1990 Igls|Mixed team}} {{MedalGold|1992 Winterberg|Mixed team}} {{MedalGold|2000 Winterberg|Women's singles}} {{MedalGold|2000 Winterberg|Mixed team}} {{MedalGold|2002 Altenberg|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|1992 Winterberg|Women's singles}} {{MedalSilver|2002 Altenberg|Mixed team}} {{MedalBronze|2004 Oberhof|Women's singles}} {{MedalBottom}}
'''Sylke Otto''' (born 7 July 1969) is a German former luger who competed from 1991 to 2007. She was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's singles event in 2002 and 2006.
Otto won twelve medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with six golds (Women's singles: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005; Mixed team: 2003, 2005), three silvers (Mixed team: 1997, 2000, 2001), and three bronzes (Women's singles: 1999, 2004; Mixed team: 1999).
She also won eight medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with five golds (Women's singles: 2000, 2002; Mixed team: 1990, 1992, 2000), two silvers (Women's singles: 1992, Mixed team: 2002), and one bronze (Women's singles: 2004). Otto finished in the top three of the Luge World Cup standings every year from 1999 to 2006, winning the overall title four times (1994-5, 1999–2000, 2002–3, 2003–4). She won a record 37 World Cup races in total during her career.
==Retirement== She retired from the sport on 12 January 2007, partly in order to have children and partly because of a crash at Königssee, Germany, the previous week and witnessing another crash, by Russia's Albert Demtschenko at Oberhof, that same week. Otto had initially planned on retiring at the World Luge Championships in Igls, Austria (Located southeast of Innsbruck) in February, but the accidents changed her plans. She has one daughter, Sina, born on 29 May 2007. A retirement ceremony for Otto took place prior to the start of the women's singles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany on 25 January.
==Other information== Otto was one of the torch bearers for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as it traveled through Berlin, Germany.
==References== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719124835/http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/athlet/erfolge_en.asp?p_id=100079 FIL-Luge profile] *[http://www.fil-luge.org/news/news-detail/article/sylke-otto-to-be-seen-off-during-world-championships.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=45&cHash=e59740e5f1 FIL-Luge.org January 23, 2008 article on Otto's retirement ceremony prior to the start of the women's singles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany on January 25, 2008.] - Accessed January 24, 2008. *[http://www.fil-luge.org/news/news-detail/article/olympic-flame-in-germany.html?tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1088632800&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2678399&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=e3bde8d5c2 FIL-Luge.org 2 July 2004 article on Otto's torch carrying in Berlin prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics.] - accessed March 7, 2008. *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150610220058/http://www.fuzilogik.com/Luge/Women-s-Luge-Olympic-Medals.html Fuzilogik Sports - Winter Olympic results - Women's luge]}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/19991004054515/http://www.hickoksports.com/history/olluge.shtml Hickoksports.com results on Olympic champions in luge and skelton.] *[https://archive.today/20121204165409/http://www.hickoksports.com/history/worldluge.shtml Hickok sports information on World champions in luge and skeleton.] *[http://www.eiskanal.com/eiskanal-kunstbahnrennrodeln-europameisterschaften.html List of European luge champions] {{in lang|de}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080206094157/http://sports123.com/lug/wwc-s.html List of women's singles luge World Cup champions since 1978.] *[http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5058278/detail.html?ib_oll=Headline NBC biography] *[http://www.sylkeotto.de Official website] {{in lang|de}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927035935/http://www.sportquick.com/techlist.asp?SearchResult=Envoi&list0=Luge&list1=Championnats%20du%20Monde%20piste%20artificielle&list2=&shot2=T&shot3=Champion SportQuick.com information on World champions in luge.] {{in lang|fr}}
==External links== * {{FIL|sylke-otto}} * {{Olympics.com profile|sylke-otto|org_archive=20190811181005}} * {{Olympedia}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Luge Women's Singles}} {{Footer World Champions Luge Women's Singles}} {{Footer World Champions Luge Mixed Team}} {{Footer European Champions Luge Women's Singles}} {{Footer European Champions Luge Mixed Team}} {{Footer World Cup Champions Luge Women's Singles}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Sylke}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:German female lugers Category:Olympic lugers for Germany Category:Olympic gold medalists for Germany Category:Olympic medalists in luge Category:Lugers at the 1992 Winter Olympics Category:Lugers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Category:Lugers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Sportspeople from Chemnitz Category:East German female lugers Category:Sportspeople from Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt Category:21st-century German sportswomen