Erika Lechner (sometimes listed as Erica Lechner, born 28 May 1947 in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

) is an Italian

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...

r who competed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

in Grenoble, she originally finished third in the women's singles event behind Ortrun Enderlein and

Anna-Maria Müller Anna-Maria Müller (later Murach, 23 February 1949 – 23 August 2009) was an East German luger who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. At the pr ...

(both from

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

), but was awarded the gold medal upon the disqualifications of Enderlein, Müller, and

Angela Knösel Angela Knösel (born 29 August 1949) is a German luger who competed for East Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She won two silver medals in the women's singles event at the FIL European Luge Championships (1970, 1971). At the 196 ...

(who finished fourth) when the

East Germans East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

were discovered to have their runners being illegally heated.

Biography

Lechner also won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1971 FIL World Luge Championships in

Olang Olang (; it, Valdaora ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano. Geography As of 31 December 2015, it had a population of 3,132 and an area of .All demographics and other ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. She also won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1971 FIL European Luge Championships in

Imst Imst (; Southern Bavarian: ''Imscht'') is a town in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It lies on the River Inn in western Tyrol, some west of Innsbruck and at an altitude of above sea level. With a current population (2013) of 9,552, Imst ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

References

* * * * * * *Wallenchinsky, David. (1984). "Luge: Women's Singles". In ''The Complete Book the Olympics: 1896-1980''. New York: Penguin Books. p. 577.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lechner, Erika 1947 births Sportspeople from Bolzano Italian female lugers Living people Lugers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Lugers at the 1972 Winter Olympics Olympic lugers of Italy Olympic medalists in luge Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Italy