Mārtiņš Rubenis

Mārtiņš Rubenis (born 26 September 1978) is a retired Latvian luger who competed between 1998 and 2014. He won the bronze medal at the men's singles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, becoming the first Latvian (i.e. representing Republic of Latvia) to win a medal at the Winter Olympics and the only one from Latvia at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Following this he was chosen as Latvian Sportsman of the Year for 2006.[1] He won his second bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in the Team Relay event.[2] In total he competed in five Olympics.[1]

Mārtiņš Rubenis
Rubenis in 2013
Personal information
Born26 September 1978 (1978-09-26) (age 42)
Riga, Latvia
Height184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
SportLuge
Medal record
Representing  Latvia
Olympic Games
2006 TurinMen's singles
2014 SochiMixed team
World Championships
2003 SiguldaMen's singles
2003 SiguldaMixed team
2004 NaganoMen's singles
European Championships
2008 CesanaMixed team
2010 SiguldaMixed team
2014 SiguldaMixed team
2006 WinterbergMixed team

Rubenis has also won the gold medal at the 1998 World Junior Championships, as well as the silver and bronze medals at the 2003 and 2004 World Championships respectively. He also won three medals in the Team Relay event at the FIL European Luge Championships with a golds in 2008 and 2010, and a bronze in 2006.

Rubenis retired after the 2014 Winter Olympics. He announced his retirement after the men's event, in which he finished 10th, yet a few days later Rubenis won a bronze medal being a part of the Latvian Relay Team. As a result, he and his team-mates in the relay squad were featured on a commemorative stamp issued by Latvian Post.[1][3] Following his retirement, he was appointed as coach of the Latvian national luge team, and additionally uses his skills as a mechanical engineer to design sleds for the team, having already made his own sleds whilst competing. He also became a member of the Latvian Olympic Committee,[1] having previously served as an athlete representative to the International Luge Federation.[4]

He has been a practitioner of Falun Gong since 2005.[1]

Rubenis is a musician and DJ and a member of the DJs group Värka Kru.[5]

Awards
Rubenis (2nd right) on a 2014 Latvian stamp
  • 2011 – The Three – Star Order
  • 2014 – The Cross of Recognition

Achievements
  • 1998 – 1st place in World Junior championship
  • 2000 – 11th place in World championship
  • 2000 – 18th place Overall World Cup
  • 2001 – 29th place in World championship
  • 2001 – 25th place Overall World Cup
  • 2002 – 15th place in European championship
  • 2002 – 34th place Overall World Cup
  • 2003 – 2nd place in World championship – team competition
  • 2003 – 2nd place in World championship
  • 2003 – 18th place Overall World Cup
  • 2004 – 3rd place in World championship
  • 2004 – 13th place Overall World Cup
  • 2004 – 12th place Overall Challenge Cup
  • 2005 – 11th place in World championship
  • 2005 – 11th place Overall World Cup
  • 2005 – 9th place Overall Challenge Cup
  • 2006 – 3rd place in European championship – team competition
  • 2006 – 7th place in European championship

Olympic Games results

References
  1. Lee, Serene (4 August 2017). "Martins Rubenis, an Olympic Medalist's Story of Change". New Tang Dynasty Television. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  2. Mārtiņš Rubenis. sports-reference.com
  3. "Latvijas Pasts in collaboration with Latvian Olympic Committee to present stamps dedicated to Latvian medal winners in XXII Olympic Winter Games". Latvijas Pasts. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. Harder, Wolfgang (May 2014). "Particulars" (PDF). FIL Magazine. Vol. 1 no. 51. Berchtesgaden, Germany: International Luge Federation. p. 30. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  5. Lohengrin From Varka Crew Loengrīns no Varka Kru (2010). forumcinemas.lv
Awards
Preceded by
Viktors Ščerbatihs		 Latvian Men's Sportspersonality of the Year
2006		 Succeeded by
Viktors Ščerbatihs
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