Martins Dukurs is a Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

n skeleton racer

Skeleton (sport)

Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...

 who has competed since 1998. He finished seventh in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics

2006 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

 in Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 and second at the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

Dukurs also finished sixth in the men's skeleton event at the 2007 FIBT World Championships

FIBT World Championships 2007

The FIBT World Championships 2007 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record twenty-first time, doing so previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989 , 1990 , 1997 , 1998 , and 2001...

 in St. Moritz

St. Moritz

St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...

. He won the gold medal in the men's event at the 2011 FIBT World Championships

FIBT World Championships 2011

The FIBT World Championships 2011 takes place from 14 February 2011 until 27 February in Königssee, Germany for the fifth time, doing so previously in 1979, 1986, and 1990 , and 2004...

 in Königssee

Königssee

The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria...

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Martins won the overall World Cup for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 season.

His older brother Tomass

Tomass Dukurs

Tomass Dukurs is a Latvian skeleton racer who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of fourth in the men's skeleton event at Vancouver in 2010....

 is also a skeleton racer. Both he and his brother qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

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In 2010 Martins Dukurs was decorated with the Order of the Three Stars

Order of the Three Stars

Order of the Three Stars is order awarded for merits in service for Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra"...

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