Gerhard Pilz

Gerhard Pilz ( born July 17, 1965 in Bad Ischl ) is a former Austrian natural track luge. He was a member from 1985 until 2007, the Austrian natural track luge team. With five world titles, two European Cup titles, two overall World Cup victories and 19 wins in World Cup race, he is one of the most successful natural track lugers. In addition, he was five times Austrian champion in the single-seater.

Career

Fungus came in his hometown of Bad Goisern, where regular race took place, even as a small child with the natural track luge sports in contact. The age of ten, he denied himself the first race and in 1980 he was included in the Austrian Junior squad. In the junior class arrive in numerous successes at national championships and international events, among other things, he was in 1984 Austrian Junior Champion in the single-seater. In European Junior Championships, he scored 1982 in Fénis 17th place in the recliner, 1983 in Davos Platz four in doubles and fifth in single-seaters and 1984 in Hol seventh place in the single-seater. Later, he was primarily in international competitions in the single-seater at the start. In February 1983, he scored the 19th place in the single-seater at his first European Championship in St. Konrad.

In 1985 Pilz has been included in the national team and scored at the European Championships in Szczyrk fifth place. But the really big breakthrough came at the 1986 World Cup in Fénis when he first became world champion against the Italians Damiano Lugon and Harald Steinhauser. He laid the foundation for one of the most successful to date Natubahnrodler careers. After the World Cup in 1988 had to be canceled due to weather conditions, fungus was in the years 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996 to successfully defend four times in a row, his title, which he was measured at world titles, for to this day the most successful natural track luge. At the European Championships, he was initially less successful. Here was during these years a second place in 1989 in Garmisch -Partenkirchen his best result. Even away from the World and European Championships, he scored in the years before the introduction of the World Cup many successes. He won the 1986 International 2-track tour, the 1988 Grand Prix of South Tyrol and Canada, the 1990 Grand Prize of the Soviet Union in 1992 and 1991 and the European Cup. He was also first time in 1989 Austrian National Champion in the single-seater. This title he won from 1994 to 1997 four more times.

When the natural track luge World Cup was held in winter 1992/1993 for the first time, mushroom also included in this series from the beginning to the absolute world top. With two wins in Rautavaara and Gummer and a third place in Bruck, he reached the second place in the overall standings in the first World Cup season. Only the Italians Franz Obrist scored more points. In winter 1993/1994 Mushroom remained without a win, scoring three third places and finished fourth in the World Cup. In the season 1994/1995 he again won two races in Olang and Kreuth, which he finished in third place in the World Cup. In addition, he scored a third place in Negaunee and sixth in doubles overall World Cup in doubles with Reinhard Beer. Was in the 1995/1996 season, in the fungus for the fifth time world champion, he won three World Cup races (two in Rautavaara and one in bar ) and had to give so that the overall World Cup only the Italians Anton Blasbichler beaten. The next winter was the bronze medal at the European Championships 1997 in Moos in Passeier his greatest success in the World Cup, he remained without a win and fell with three third places to sixth in the overall World Cup.

In the 1997/1998 season he celebrated in Sölden its already eighth World Cup victory and reached with a further two podiums for the third time in second place in the overall World Cup, beaten back only by an Italian, namely Reinhard Gruber. In the 1998 World Cup he stayed his five world titles this year in fourth place for the first time without a medal at the European Championship 1999, he was fifth. In winter 1998/1999 Mushroom did not come despite a victory in Soelden in the top three in the World Cup. In the 1999/2000 season he reached the podium, where he managed a victory at the season opener in Oberperfuss in all six World Cup races. In the overall classification he had to but again with the second place finish. This time his countryman Ferdinand Hirzegger not beat four wins this season. At the World Championships 2000 he won with just three hundredths of a second behind Gerald Kallan the silver medal.

According to him until then four second-place finishes in the World Cup of the then 35 -year-old fungal won with three victories ( in Obergurgl, Moscow and Huttau ) in five races for the first time Appreciation for itself in the 2000/2001 season. He could again next winter when he with three victories ( in Olang and once in Železniki twice) again overall World Cup winner was also this success. Successful fungus was also at the 2001 World Championships in Stein an der Enns, where he won bronze in the single-seater and together with Marlies Wagner, Peter Lechner and Peter Braunegger silver in the inaugural team competition, as well as at the European Championships 2002 in Frantschach - Sankt Gertraud, where he, six years after his last world title, the first time was European champion in single seaters. After these successes, he was honored with the Golden Order of Merit of the Republic of Austria. 1996 had already given him the Silver Medal of Merit. In the season 2002/2003 Mushroom reached the second place in the overall World Cup with two victories in Huttau and Kindberg for the fifth time. Overall winner was this winter with 15 points ahead of his teammate Robert Batkowski, who directed him in the 2003 World Cup in Železniki in second place.

In February 2004, fungus was European champion at the European Championships in Huttau for the second time. Two weeks later he celebrated in the final race of the season 2003/2004 in Herzogenaurach his 19th and last World Cup victory in the World Cup he finished fourth. In winter 2004/2005 Mushroom had no place on the podium and he finished the World Cup in sixth place. At the World Championship 2005 in Laces he drove to fifth. Due to injury, fungus was in the 2005/2006 season only two World Cup races that day and reached at the European Championships 2006 in Obergurgl only 16th place. The next winter he had a successful comeback when he was in his last World Cup season 2006/2007 still achieved three podiums, reaching the third place in the World Cup. On 19 February 2007, he finished his career by winning the silver medal at the World Championships in Grande Prairie at the age of 41 years.

In addition to tobogganing fungus also contested competitions in the role sledding. Here are two overall victories in the International role luge Summer Cup in 1999 and 2001, winning the Summer Grand Prix of Germany 1999 and the victory at the Summer Grand Prix of Liechtenstein in 2000 to his greatest successes. One of his biggest hobbies is one of mountaineering. In addition to numerous ascents in the Alps, he undertook many expeditions in South America and Asia. Among other things he was involved in 2004 in the Austrian first ascent of the 7126 meter high Himlung in Nepal.

Since October 2008, Gerhard Pilz national coach of the German natural track luge.

Sporting successes

World Championships

  • Fénis Aosta - 1986: first single-seater
  • Gsies 1990: first single-seater
  • Bad Goisern 1992: first single-seater
  • Gsies 1994: first single-seater
  • Oberperfuss 1996: first single-seater
  • Rautavaara 1998: 4 seater
  • Olang 2000: 2 seater
  • Stein an der Enns 2001: 3 seater, 2 team
  • Železniki 2003: 2 seater
  • Laces 2005: 5 seater
  • Grande Prairie 2007: 2 seater

European Championships

  • St. Konrad 1983: 19 seater
  • Szczyrk 1985: 5 seater
  • Jesenice 1987: 6 seater
  • Garmisch -Partenkirchen 1989: 2 seater
  • Fie 1991: 12 seater
  • Moos in Passeier 1997: 3 seater
  • Szczyrk 1999: 5 seater
  • Frantschach 2002: first single-seater
  • Huttau 2004: first single-seater
  • Umhausen 2006: 16 seater

European Junior Championships

  • Fénis 1982: 17 seater
  • Davos 1983: 4 two-seater, 5 seater
  • Get 1984: 7 seater

World Cup

  • 2x Overall World Cup winner in the single-seater in the seasons 2000/2001 and 2001/2002
  • 5x 2 overall in the single-seater in the seasons 1992/1993, 1995/1996, 1997/1998, 1999/2000 and 2002/2003
  • 1x 3rd place overall in the single-seater in the season 2006/2007
  • 19 wins in World Cup races:

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian champion in single-seaters in 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997

Awards

FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1986 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1990 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1992 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1994 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1996 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2000 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2001 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2007 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1989 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1997 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2002 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2004 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1983 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1985 Negaunee, Michigan FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1998 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1999 Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2005 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2006 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1987 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1991 Finland Italy Gernot Schwab Patrick Pigneter Gerald Kammerlander Manfred Danklmaier Erhard Mahlknecht
260367
de