Doncaster's Luke Farrar selected for Luge World Cup

The 22-year-old, from Askern, will compete against the world's best this winter just three years after taking up the sport.

Luge is the fastest sport on ice with athletes hitting speeds of up to 90mph and forces in excess of 5G as they drive their sled along the mile-long track just inches from the ice.

Farrar, a former Ridgewood School pupil, was introduced to the sport through the Royal Air Force where he serves as an aircraft technician on Typhoon multi-role fighter jets at RAF Coningsby.

He won the annual Inter-services Championships in March and caught the eye of the GB selectors after finishing an impressive fourth in the British Championships.

Farrar has been awarded a scholarship by the International Luge Federation (FIL) and will start his training next month prior to the first World Cup race in Innsbruck, Austria, in November.

He will be coached by three-time GB Olympian AJ Rosen who finished 22nd at the PyeongChang Olympic Games earlier this year.

His schedule will see him compete against the world's best on tracks around Europe and North America over the winter in the lead up to January's World Luge Championships in Winterberg, Germany, where he will rub shoulders with Olympic champion David Gleirscher and two-time Olympic gold medallist Felix Loch.

Luke said: "To represent Great Britain gives me a sense of immense pride and makes me determined to succeed.

'I am excited to see what this season has in store both for me as an individual and the GB luge team as a whole. Bring it on!"

GB Luge chief executive Gav Arnold said: 'We're delighted to welcome Luke into the team for the 2018/19 season.

'We see him as an exceptionally talented prospect for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing and look forward to supporting him on his Olympic journey.'

Unlike other Olympic sports, luge receives no central government funding from UK Sport so athletes have to self-fund their training and competition costs.

As a result, Luke is on the hunt for a Doncaster-based sponsor who might be able to help him on his way to Beijing 2022.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Luke can contact the team through their website www.gbla.co.uk or via twitter @LugeGB.