Luge is a sport that involves lying down on a small sled and speeding down an ice track. Despite Taiwan's lack of snow, two athletes are training hard for the chance to race in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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A luger races down a steep track filled with sharp twists and turns. Some athletes reach speeds over 130 kilometers per hour. On a track that's only 1.2 kilometers and has 10 turns, that means the whole race will be over in about one minute.
Top lugers usually come from countries that get a lot of snow. But tropical Taiwan has two athletes competing for a chance to race in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Peng Lin-wei (彭林煒) is still a university student and has already competed in the Youth Olympic Games. The other luge hopeful is Chiang Chun-hung (江俊弘) who placed seventh at the North American Cup.
Chiang says he was discouraged when he missed out on the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. But his passion and family's support motivated him to keep going.
Taiwan doesn't have snow for a luge track, so the athletes have to practice on a track field. Peng says it's not an ideal surface and he's gotten hurt scraping against asphalt roads during practice.
These Taiwanese athletes are facing many obstacles. But they're hoping the upcoming North American Cup may help them secure the points needed to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics.