Sandra Mariner

Sandra Mariner ( born May 13, 1974 in Innsbruck ) is an Austrian former Naturbahnrodlerin in the single-seater. She won four World Cup races in her career, was four times Austrian Champion reached, three times second and twice third in the overall World Cup and won at the World Championships in 1996 and 2001 respectively the bronze medal. Even her mother Hannelore Mariner was known as an excellent luger - 1970 she became European Champion in the single-seater.

Career

Mariner denied in January 1986 their first race on the natural toboggan run. In 1998, she was Austrian Vice Champion in the Junior Class and 1991, she reached the third place in the general class. In February 1990, she participated in Železniki for the first time at a European Junior Cup finals, finishing in eleventh place. In the next two years, she was fifth and seventh at the European Junior Championships.

In January 1993, the then 18 - year-old could qualify for a race in the newly introduced World Cup for the first time. In Oberperfuss they scored the fifth in her first World Cup race. A week later she was at their first European Championship in Stein an der Enns Twelfth. In February, she won the European Junior Championship in 1993 in Rautavaara and the bronze medal in the same year she was admitted to the Austrian natural track luge team. In the winter of 1993/1994 was Mariner Austrian Junior Champion after they had already become second twice in previous years. End of January 1994, she scored in Gsies at their first World Cup seventh place and in February she won the European Junior Championship in Langenfeld the silver medal behind one years younger Italian Sonja Steinacher.

During the World Cup final of the season 1994/1995 in Stein an der Enns, the then 20- year-old reached third place the first podium of her career in a World Cup race. Third, it was also the last time the discharged European Cup in Olang. At the European Championships in 1995 in Kandalakscha she remained in fourth place just behind the medals. To kick off the World Cup season 1995/1996 she succeeded in Finnish Rautavaara the second podium finish and with four other top-3 results she reached behind her teammate Irene Zechner second place in the overall World Cup. At the World Championships in 1996 in Oberperfuss she won the bronze medal. In winter 1996/1997 Mariner fourth in the overall World Cup and in the season was 1997/1998 it reached four podium for the second time in second place in the overall standings, this time behind her compatriot Elvira woodcutter. At the European Championships in 1997 in Moss pass eggs she was seventh and at the 1998 World Cup in Rautavaara she missed in fourth barely a medal. Not quite as successful as the previous year was the season 1998 /1999. They had no place on the podium and dropped back to sixth place in the overall World Cup. In the season 1999/2000 Mariner reached in the first three races return to the podium and in February they celebrated the final in Aosta, coinciding with Sonja Steinacher, her first World Cup victory, which she reached the third place in the overall standings. Back in January they had won a parallel competition in Fie, but did not count for the World Cup. At the World Championship 2000 in Olang it was like two years before the Fourth.

In 2000, Mariner was already end their careers, but initially chose for it nor participate in national competitions in the next winter. After her teammate Elvira woodcutter was seriously injured late December and turned out for the rest of the season, Mariner was asked by the Austrian Luge Federation, rather than continuing to start woodcutter as driving force for the younger runners in the World Cup. She took on this role and celebrated in the very first World Cup races this winter in Obergurgl her second victory. With two more podium finishes finally the second year in third place in the overall World Cup and the World Championship 2001 in Stein an der Enns she was also, as already five years earlier, a third party. She was also this year for the first time Austrian Champion in the single-seater.

Mariner remained even after this winter continues in the natural track luge sports active. In the 2001/2002 season she drove in five of six World Cup races into the top three and the final in Železniki her at the same time with Sonja Steinacher succeeded the third victory. She reached behind so Steinach, who scored the maximum of 500 points for the third time in her career second place in the overall World Cup. At the 2002 European Championships in Frantschach - Sankt Gertraud she remained in fifth place but behind their expectations. In winter 2002/2003 Mariner reached due to health problems not their previous achievements and fell with a fifth place as the best race result back in tenth place in the overall World Cup. In the 2003 World Cup in Železniki they missed in fourth for the umpteenth time only just a medal. For this she was in 2003 for the second time Austrian Champion and in the next two years she could defend that title successfully. At the start of the World Cup season 2003/2004 Mariner drove as third parties in Olang back on the podium and in the fifth race of the season, a parallel competition in Triesenberg, she celebrated her fourth and last World Cup victory. In the overall classification they finished with a total of four top - five results to fourth place. Your worst result of the season they scored at the 2004 European Championships in Huttau, where she was only ten.

The World Cup season 2004/2005 Mariner began with the second place in Campill. However, in the third race of the season in Oberperfuss she suffered her first serious injury when they have a medial ligament tear and a partial tear of the outer band drew upon in his right ankle. Nevertheless, they could start two weeks later at the World Championships 2005 in Laces, where she finished in seventh place. The World Cup took this winter but due to the injury to no longer participate in the race. At the beginning of the season 2005/2006 Mariner denied their last World Cup race, which she finished in ninth place, before she ended her career in the World Cup and the national team at the age of 32 years, after twenty years of active service and after 14 years.

Sporting successes

World Championships

  • Gsies 1994: 7 seater
  • Oberperfuss 1996: 3 seater
  • Rautavaara 1998: 4 seater
  • Olang 2000: 4 seater
  • Stein an der Enns 2001: 3 seater
  • Železniki 2003: 4 seater
  • Laces 2005: 7 seater

European Championships

  • Stein an der Enns 1993: 12 seater
  • Kandalakscha 1995: 4 seater
  • Moos in Passeier 1997: 7 seater
  • Frantschach 2002: 5 seater
  • Huttau 2004: 10 seater

European Junior Championships

  • Železniki 1990: 11 seater
  • Kandalakscha 1991: 5 seater
  • Rod 1992 7 seater
  • Rautavaara 1993: 3 seater
  • Length field 1994: 2 seater

World Cup

  • 3x 2nd overall in the single-seater in the seasons 1995/1996, 1997/1998 and 2001/2002
  • 2x 3rd place overall in the single-seater in the seasons 1999/2000 and 2000/2001
  • 2x 4th place overall in the single-seater in the seasons 1996/1997 and 2003/2004
  • 27 podium finishes in World Cup races, including 4 victories:

* At the same time with Sonja Steinacher

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian Champion in single-seaters in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005

Awards (excerpt)

  • 2001: Golden Medal of Merit of the Republic of Austria
FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1996 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2001 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1993 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1994 FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1995 Kandalaksha Elvira Holzknecht FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 1997 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 1998 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2000 Umhausen FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2002 Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud FIL European Luge Natural Track Championships 2004 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships 2005 Italy
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