Walter Plaikner (born 24 October 1951 in

Kiens Kiens (; it, Chienes ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,726 and an area of .Overall demographics and other statistics ...

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

) is an Italian former luger and coach of Austrian descent who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a doubles specialist, and competed alongside

Paul Hildgartner Paul Hildgartner (born 8 June 1952 in Chienes) is an Italian luger who competed from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he earned two gold medals (Men's doubles: 1972, Men's singles: 1984) and one silver medal ...

. They won the gold medal in the men's doubles event (shared with the

East German 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 ...

pairing of Horst Hörnlein and

Reinhard Bredow Reinhard Bredow (also known as Reinhard Bredlow, born 6 April 1947 in Ilsenburg) is an East German former luger who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He and Horst Hörnlein won the gold medal in the men's doubles event (shared with t ...

) at the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Euro ...

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

. Plaikner also competed at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...

in Innsbruck, where he finished 11th in the doubles after suffering from a severe bout of

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

. He retired from competition after the Games. Plaikner won two medals in the men's doubles events at the

FIL World Luge Championships The FIL World Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place on an almost annual basis in non-Winter Olympics years since 1955. These championships are shown for artificial tracks. See FIL World Luge Natural ...

with a gold in 1971 and a bronze in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

. He and Hildgartner also won two gold medals in the men's doubles event at the

FIL European Luge Championships The FIL European Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place since 1914. From 1914 to 1934, these championships were part of the Internationaler Schlittensportsverband (ISSV - International Sled Sport Federat ...

( 1971, 1974). After his retirement, Plaikner became a coach, working in Japan until 1998 and then in the United States to 2002. That year he was appointed as head coach of the Italian national luge team: he remained in this position until the end of April 2013, when he left the role after disputes about the quality of materials he produced for the construction of sleds. Later that year he became head coach of the Russian luge team with a focus on preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. In 2016 he rejoined the coaching staff of the Italian team. In 2007, Plaikner was appointed Chairman of the Technical Commission for Artificial Track of the

International Luge Federation The International Luge Federation ( French: Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL); German: Internationaler Rennrodelverband) is the main international federation for all luge sports. Founded by 13 nations at Davos, Switzerland in ...

(FIL).

References

External links

*
FIL Executive committee featuring Plaikner
- accessed March 8, 2008. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plaikner, Walter 1947 births Italian male lugers Living people Lugers at the 1972 Winter Olympics Lugers at the 1976 Winter Olympics Olympic lugers for Italy Olympic medalists in luge Medalists at the 1972 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Italy Italian sports coaches Lugers of Centro Sportivo Carabinieri People from Kiens Sportspeople from South Tyrol