Bernhard Glass

Bernhard Glass ( born November 6, 1957 in Stapelburg ) is a former German luger who went to the starting line for the GDR.

At the age of 20 years, Glass started for the first time at a luge World Cup, where he finished fifth in 1977. His first international medal he won 1979, when he finished third at the European Championships, earning him bronze. Two years later, the launching of the ASK forward Oberhof athlete achieved his greatest success when he won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. First, be dortiger start was even uncertain, as he had squeezed the fingers after a training accident. Just a day before the first of the four runs he won against his team- mate Michael Walter and was allowed to participate in the competition. Although he was not there favorite and showed not even the best runs, he was the most consistent, the other former world class riders like his compatriots Hans Rinn and Dettlef Günther lost by each of a bad run out of four chances at the title. In the last race he started ahead of most of its competitors, which are all no better time than he reached so that the stack Burger won the Olympic title.

After the Olympics, Glass did not repeat his success; at the 1981 World Championship he placed again only in fifth place. Once again, two years later, he fell in the victory of the Canadian Miroslav Zajonc back even on the seventh rank. Due to the high power density in the GDR team was unclear whether he would ever nominated to the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo to defend his title. To achieve this goal he should have won a medal at the European Championships in 1984; he classified as a fourth, so he was not allowed to travel to his second Olympic Games. Instead, the German finished in the same year his career, after he had shoulder problems for several years. In addition, the 104- pound luger fancied a chance against the more aerodynamic athletes who would cope better on the new tracks.

For his Olympic victory in 1980, he was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver.

After his playing career was from 1995 Glass Coach in the base Oberhof and supervised, among other things, the toboggan Olympic champion Silke Kraushaar. Since the season 2010/2011 he is part of the coaching staff of Canada's lugers. He lives with his wife in Oberhof, he also has two adult children.