Florian Clara
Florian Clara ( born February 11, 1988 in Bruneck ) is an Italian natural track luge. Together with Patrick Pigneter it forms one of the most successful doubles pairs. They were each once a world and European champion, once each Junior World and European champion and won the World Cup four times. In addition, Clara was twice world champion in the team competition. He also starts in the single-seater, but is less successful. His younger cousin Hannes Clara is also natural track luge.
Career
In February 2005, Florian Clara first participated in a European Junior Championship, finishing in twelfth place in the single-seater. On 22 January 2006, he played with his doubles partner Patrick Pigneter the first World Cup race. They occupied the sixth place and this season was this their only social world cup start. The first major success came in Clara at the Junior World Championship in February 2006, when he won the gold medal in doubles with Pigneter. However, in the single-seater he only reached 13th place. At the European Championships in 2006, he scored only 24th place in the single-seater.
In the season 2006/2007 the duo Pigneter / Clara played already three World Cup races and they were able to celebrate their first win at her first start of the season in Longiaru. At the end of the season they reached in moss pass eggs in another second place. Since this winter Clara also takes in the single-seater at World Cup races in part, but he never came up to the 2009/2010 season for more than two appearances per season and usually it can achieve the rankings to tenth place. In the Junior European Championships 2007 in St. Sebastian the double Pigneter / Clara won the gold medal in doubles and Hannes Clara also reached the second place in the single-seat, behind Patrick Pigneter. At the 2007 World Championships in Grande Prairie, he scored eight place in the single-seat and won with Renate Gietl and Patrick Pigneter the silver medal in the team competition. In doubles, the duo race Pigneter / Clara but was disqualified because the rails of their sled, as well as with three other couples, exceeded the allowed maximum temperature.
The big breakthrough in the World Cup succeeded the doubles pair Florian Clara and Patrick Pigneter in the 2007/2008 season. They won all six World Cup races and for the first time the two-seat World Cup. At the 2008 European Championships in Olang, however, they had to admit defeat to the Russian duo Pawel Porschnew and Ivan Lazarev. In 2008, Clara and Pigneter for the first time Italian champion in doubles. This track they have been able to successfully defend every year. At the Junior World Championship 2008 in Laces launched Florian Clara in doubles with his cousin Hannes because Pigneter had already passed the age limit. The Cousins won behind their compatriots Thomas Weiss and Andrew head the silver medal. In single-seater Florian Clara Seventh was.
In the 2008/2009 season and Clara Pigneter won with four wins and two second places for the second time the World Cup in doubles. At the World Cup in 2009 they were world champions in the doubles and team competition. In single-seater Clara came in twelfth place. In the 2009/2010 season Pigneter / Clara celebrated four wins in six races and won for the third time in a row the two-seat World Cup, which was previously still no one has succeeded. At the European Championships 2010 in St. Sebastian Pigneter / Clara Gold won in doubles and silver with the team.
In the season 2010/2011 the duo Pigneter / Clara celebrated three World Cup victories, which they won the World Cup in a row for the fourth time. In single-seater Clara could significantly improve compared to previous years. He took for the first time at all six races of the season in part, drove five times into the top ten and scored at the season finale in Olang with fifth place his best World Cup result so far. In the single-seat World Cup so he reached the seventh place. At the World Cup 2011 in Obergurgl Clara drove in single seaters in seventh place. Together with Patrick Pigneter he won the silver medal in the doubles behind the Russians Porschnew / Lazarev and in Italy I team, which also Renate Gietl and Anton Blasbichler belonged, for the second consecutive gold medal in the team competition.
The 2011/2012 season began Clara Latzfons with a fifth place in the single-seater and a win in doubles. Since then, the duo Pigneter / Clara holds the sole record for World Cup victories in the doubles against the Austrians Reinhard Beer and Herbert Kögl. In the doubles World Cup but were beaten this year by the Russians Porschnew / Lazarev, who celebrated four wins this season, while Pigneter / Clara get only two victories. In the single-seat World Cup Clara fell despite two fifth places early in the season to eleventh place back. At the European Championships 2012 in Novouralsk he finished in the single-seater the 20th place, while he and Patrick Pigneter tasks in doubles because of a defect on the slide, the race for a championship round. In the team competition, he finished with his teammates in fourth place.
Achievements
( Doubles with Patrick Pigneter )
World Championships
- Grande Prairie 2007: 8 seater, 2nd team
- Moos in Passeier 2009: 1 two-seater, 12 -seater, 1st team
- Umhausen 2011: 2 double seater, 7 seater, 1st team
European Championships
- Umhausen 2006: 24 seater
- Olang 2008: 2 doubles
- St. Sebastian 2010: 1 double seater, 2nd team
- Novouralsk 2012: 20 seater, 4th team
Junior World Championships
- Garmisch -Partenkirchen 2006: 1 double seater, 13 seater
- Laces 2008: 2 doubles ( with Hannes Clara), 7 seater
European Junior Championships
- Kandalakscha 2005: 12 seater
- St. Sebastian 2007: 1 double seater, 2 seater
World Cup
- 4x overall World Cup victory in the doubles in the seasons 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011
- 7th overall in the single-seat World Cup in season 2010/2011
- 3 top 5 results in single seaters
- 31 podium finishes in doubles, including 20 victories:
Italian Championships
- Quintuple Italian Champion in doubles (2008 to 2012)