Christian Hafner

Christian Hafner ( born June 19, 1972 in Bolzano ) is a former Italian natural track luge, which was especially successful in doubles. He started up in 1996 with Jürgen Pezzi and from 1997 to end 1999 with Martin Psenner. Overall, he won four World Cup races and three silver and one bronze medal at the World and European Championships. In European Junior Championships he won next to each a gold and bronze medal in doubles and a bronze medal in the single-seater.

Career

Christian Hafner took in 1990 and 1991 at two European junior championships. In 1990, he won the bronze medal in the single-seater and with Jürgen Pezzi the gold medal in doubles. In 1991 he won the bronze medal with Pezzi in the doubles, but fell in the single-seater from. In 1991, Hafner and Pezzi in Vols for the first time at a European Championship in the general class part and achieved fourth place. In single-seater Hafner did not start initially at World and European Championships. In 1992, Hafner / Pezzi reached the second place in the European Cup in Olang and 1993 they won behind Almir Betemps and Corrado Herin the silver medal at the European Championships in Stein an der Enns. In 1994 in Gsies the first start at a World Cup, where they also won the silver medal, this time behind Manfred graves and Günther Steinhauser.

From the season 1994/1995 Christian Hafner and Jürgen Pezzi were in the World Cup successfully. Her first podiums they achieved in February 1995 in Kreuth (third rank ) and Stein an der Enns (second rank ), which she reached the third place in doubles overall World Cup this winter. Third place went Hafner / Pezzi also at the European Championships in 1995 in Kandalakscha. Here Christian Hafner also started in single-seaters and achieved sixth place. The following winter Hafner / Pezzi reached initially no podium in the World Cup and at the World Championships in 1996 in Oberperfuss they remained in fifth place behind the medals. In the penultimate World Cup race of the season 1995/1996 in Laces they stood as third parties but on the podium again and a week later they celebrated the World Cup final in rod at the end of their joint career her first World Cup victory.

Jürgen Pezzi ended after his career and Christian Hafner started from the middle of next winter with Martin Psenner, who had gone several years with Arthur Künig and had contested the first World Cup race of the season 1996/1997 with Anton Blasbichler, in doubles. Martin Psenner was up to this point as successful as Christian Hafner been and together they were able to connect directly to their previous results. They won the European Championship 1997 in Moos in Passeier behind the Austrian duo Helmut and Andi Ruetz the silver medal - in the single-seater Christian Hafner was eighth - and celebrated at the end of the 1996/1997 season in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, their first World Cup victory. As for Hafner it was for Psenner the total second World Cup victory.

In the 1997/1998 season followed in addition to a second place in Oberperfuss and a third in Železniki two more World Cup victories at the Kronplatz and in Mölten, so they had to admit defeat only the Ruetz brothers in the World Cup. In the 1998 World Cup in Rautavaara, however Hafner / Psenner occupied only fifth place. In the season 1998/1999 Christian Hafner and Martin Psenner took only the first three of the six World Cup races in part, drove it twice on the podium and were still sixth in the World Cup. At the European Championship in 1999 they did not participate. Their last World Cup race - and for Christian Hafner the last ever - she denied at the start of the 1999/2000 season in Oberperfuss, where they finished third. While Martin Psenner after a few years started exclusively in the single-seater and only later took part again in the doubles race, Christian Hafner ended his career after this race.

Sporting successes

World Championships

  • Gsies 1994: 2 doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Oberperfuss 1996: 5 doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Rautavaara 1998: 5 doubles ( with Martin Psenner )

European Championships

  • Fie 1991: 4 doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Stein an der Enns 1993: 2 doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Kandalakscha 1995: 6 seater, 3 doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Moos in Passeier 1997: 8 seater, 2 doubles ( with Martin Psenner )

European Junior Championships

  • Železniki 1990: 3 seater, 1 two-seater ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • Kandalakscha 1991: 3rd doubles ( with Jürgen Pezzi )

World Cup

  • 2nd place in doubles overall World Cup in the 1997/1998 season ( with Martin Psenner )
  • 3rd place in doubles overall World Cup in the season 1994/ 1995 ( with Jürgen Pezzi )
  • 12 podium finishes, including 4 victories:

European Cup

  • 2nd place in doubles in 1992 ( with Jürgen Pezzi )

Italian Championships

  • Italian Champion in doubles in 1998 ( with Martin Psenner )
Italy FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1994 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1993 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1995 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1997 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1991 Corrado Hérin Kandalaksha FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1996 Helmut Ruetz FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1998 Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali
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