Additional Information
Highlights
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Olympic Winter Games |
| 3 | Singles | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 3:26.445 |
| 11 | Singles | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 3:15.668 |
| 14 | Singles | 1998 | Nagano, JPN | 3:22.152 |
| Singles | 2002 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | DNF |
| World Championships |
| 2 | Singles | 2003 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:37.527 |
| 2 | Team Relay | 2003 | Sigulda, LAT | 2:15.934 |
| 3 | Singles | 2004 | Nagano, JPN | 1:39.347 |
| 10 | Singles | 2011 | Cesana Pariol, ITA | 1:44.482 |
| 12 | Singles | 2013 | Whistler, BC, CAN | 1:37.328 |
| 19 | Singles | 2012 | Altenberg, GER | 1:49.225 |
| World Cup Rankings overview - displays all rankings from 2010/11, top three for earlier seasons |
| Season | Singles |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 13 |
| 2012/2013 | 14 |
| 2011/2012 | 31 |
| 2010/2011 | 29 |
| Best performance per season in World Cup events from 2010/2011 |
| Season | Singles | Relay |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 1 x 4th | 1 x 4th |
| 2012/2013 | 1 x 5th | 1 x DNF |
| 2011/2012 | 1 x 9th | - |
| 2010/2011 | 1 x 3rd | 2 x 5th |
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Ten best World Cup performances in current season |
| 4 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:36.363 |
| 4 | Team Relay | 2013/2014 | Altenberg, GER | 2:27.510 |
| 6 | Team Relay | 2013/2014 | Igls, AUT | 2:13.378 |
| 7 | Team Relay | 2013/2014 | Park City, UT, USA | 2:19.769 |
| 8 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Oberhof, GER | 1:27.971 |
| 8 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Lillehammer, NOR | 1:38.809 |
| 13 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Park City, UT, USA | 1:31.551 |
| 17 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Altenberg, GER | 1:50.108 |
| 17 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Igls, AUT | 1:41.738 |
| 19 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Winterberg, GER | 53.281 |
| European Championships |
| 1 | Team Relay | 2010 | Sigulda, LAT | 2:16.992 |
| 1 | Team Relay | 2008 | Cesana Pariol, ITA | 2:40.863 |
| 2 | Team Relay | 2014 | Sigulda, LAT | 2:13.835 |
| 3 | Team Relay | 2006 | Winterberg, GER | 2:25.565 |
| 4 | Singles | 2014 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:36.363 |
LegendDNS-Did not start, DNQ-Did not qualify for final run, DNF-Did not finish, DSQ-Disqualified
- Hobbies: Playing beach volleyball, BMX, music, working as a DJ. (NOC Media Guide, 2014; fil-luge.org, 02 Feb 2013)
- Family: Wife Marija Poliete
- Coach: Vera Zozula; Mihails Arhipovs [national] (NOC Media Guide, 2014)
- Previous Olympics: Vancouver 2010, Torino 2006, Salt Lake City 2002, Nagano 1998
- Occupation: Army, Athlete
- Languages Spoken: Latvian
- Debut: 1998 for Latvia (fil-luge.org, 02 Feb 2013)
Additional Information
Member of national team since
1998 (fil-luge.org, 02 Feb 2013)
Start of sporting career
He began competing in 1989. (fil-luge.org, 02 Feb 2013)
Ambitions
To win gold at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (kasjauns.lv, 22 Oct 2013)
Awards
He was named Latvian Athlete of the Year in 2006. (bestriga.com, 16 Nov 2009)
General
FILM
He was the subject of a 2009 documentary called 'Lohengrin from VarkuKru'. It covered his sports career, his work as a DJ and his protest against China's human rights record. This included a hunger strike outside the Chinese embassy in Riga, Latvia. (bestriga.com, 16 Nov 2009; chinaindepth.blogspot.com, 18 Apr 2006)
NATIONAL FIRST
He became the first athlete representing Latvia to win a winter Olympic medal when he finished third in singles luge at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. (sportacentrs.com, 26 Sep 2013)
MUSIC
Outside of luge, he is an alternative music DJ and is known as DJ Betons when he performs. (nra.lv, 16 Jul 2013)