After Emily Fischnaller broke her neck and back at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, she wasn't sure if she would ever take another luge run again.

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) When Natalie Geisenberger clinched a bronze medal at the Vancouver Olympics, she threw her arms skyward with such exuberance that it seemed like she was about to fall from her sled. Soon, she might top that celebration.

Luge made its Olympic debut in 1964, where athletes race feet first on a sled at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour. Competitors complete four runs over two days and their cumulative times determine their rankings, with gold awarded for the lowest total time.

The last remaining open quota spot for a luge athlete at the Milan Cortina Olympics cannot be reallocated, the International Luge Federation said Thursday, despite hopes by some sliders that it would be awarded. By International Olympic Committee rule, the ...