Silke Kraushaar-Pielach

Silke Kraushaar- Pielach ( born October 10, 1970 in Sonneberg, native Silke Kraushaar ) is a former German luger.

In its more than decade-long international career Kraushaar- Pielach won an Olympic medal complete set, including the Olympic gold medal in 1998 in Nagano. She was also three -time World Champion and six-time European Champion. Also triumphed six times in Thuringia at German Championships, plus five overall World Cup victories and 36 victories came in single World Cup. Thus, it is common with Sylke Otto 's most successful athlete of the reunified Germany.

Career

Initial success (until 1997)

At the age of 14 years, 1984, Kraushaar began her career at the Children's and Youth Sports School ( KJS ) Oberhof. Your first success on the women celebrated Kraushaar than 17 -year-old in the GDR Championships, where she was runner-up behind Ute Oberhoffner. In 1991, she placed herself in third place in the overall German championship, two years later they secured the bronze medal. Because of these good results it was a small, albeit unsuccessful Intermezzo already in the World Cup 1992. Since the four-member German National Team with Gabi Kohlisch, Susi Erdmann, Jana Bode and Sylke Otto consisted of successful veterans who Sonnebergerin was not until the 1995 25 -year-old again, the internal qualification for the Luge World Cup. Right away, she celebrated at the first two World Cup races of the season 1996/97, their first World Cup victories, including Olympic champion Jens Müller said: "From Can they have these benefits may take a long time. The others have had just never come up in the past. " Overall, they finished the season in spite of three and thus the most World Cup victories only in fourth place in the overall World Cup. She also won the silver medal with the team at the World Cup 1997.

International breakthrough (1997-2000)

The winter of 1997/98 was to Kraushaar hitherto most successful. Although she succeeded just another World Cup victory, thanks to consistently good results on the podium they still came second overall World Cup ranking. They also won the European Championship in 1998 on their home track, the luge track Oberhof, both in single-seaters as well with the team. But the biggest success was the gold medal at the Olympic bobsleigh competitions in Nagano. There they triumphed with a German double victory with two thousandths of a second in front of Barbara Huber low and thus ensured that the German athletes were victorious in all three luge competitions.

With a winning streak of four World Cup victories in a row, the Sonnebergerin secured in the 1998/99 season for the first time to win the overall World Cup in front of their teammates and Otto Huber low. In the 1999 World Cup they fared not so successful and missed as seventh in single-seaters as worst of five Germans their first World Cup individual medal clearly. The day before, she had won over with the team Germany I the silver medal. In the World Cup 1999/2000, although she missed the defense of the overall World Cup, but with two wins they had only 55 points behind her successor Sylke Otto, who won for the second time there. At the World Cup, she had to give in fourth again the strong national competition beaten the Germans even managed a quintuple success. In the team competition, there was a German double victory, with Kraushaar with Team Germany II won and was for the first time world champion. The European Championships she finished with an individual silver medal in the team was the association it is not one.

German dominance and many gold medals (2000-2004)

With three World Cup victories and four second places Kraushaar conquered in the World Cup 2000/ 01 back victory in the overall standings Sylke Otto, plus she won her first World Cup medal in the single-seater by placed as second in the world championship in 2001 behind Otto. Also, they again won the gold medal in the team competition. As she again won four times in the 2001/ 02 World Cup season - their triumphs 13-16 - she defended the World Cup. Second was again accounted Sylke Otto on her and Kraushaar at that time almost all the victories in international competitions. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City won the bronze medal behind the Sonnebergerin Otto and Barbara Lower Huber, also was on the team again European Champion and won the silver medal in the single-seater.

Although she was unable to repeat the success of last winter in the season 2002/ 03 and her only win was, it is still placed on the second place in the overall World Cup behind Sylke Otto, who had won six of seven races. In the 2003 World Cup, the superiority Kraushaar and Otto showed by both deposed more than half a second from the rest of the grid. Finally, the German missed her first individual world title by just over two hundredths of a second in the team Otto was used instead of her. The season 2003/ 04 was for Kraushaar again very successful, especially in the major events. In the World Cup, they had to be beaten again despite three wins Sylke Otto, but they finally made ​​the first single-seater victory at the World Cup with a track record in the second half after they had finished the first run only on the fourth. At the European Championships she secured the ' title in the team as well as in the single-seater with which she was European Champion for the fourth time.

Successful years until the End of career (2004-2008)

In winter 2004/ 05 Kraushaar denied the first time the Challenge Cup, had dominated until then the Sylke Otto. There you immediately get some good results, so it was second in the overall standings behind the surprisingly strong Ukrainian Natalia Yakushenko. Also, as she placed second in the overall World Cup of the season, where they triumphed twice. A disappointment, which she described in retrospect as the greatest of her career, was the disqualification at the world championships in 2005, where she had stood firm as the winner. Also in the team competition this World Cup it was not used.

In the Challenge Cup of the Olympic season 2005/ 06, the Sonnebergerin classified in fifth place in the overall World Cup they won thanks to four World Cup victories again after a four year break. With two titles at the European Championships she ran into the favorite role for her last Olympic Games in Turin in 2006. There, she did not win, but completed with the silver medal behind Sylke Otto the Olympic medal record after they had already won gold and bronze eight and four years earlier. The 2006/07 season was for Kraushaar- Pielach again very successful, for the fourth time they secured the title in the World Cup for the first time in the Challenge Cup. Also at the World Championships she reached the bronze medal.

The winter of 2007/ 08 began Kraushaar- Pielach with a second place at their last German championship. Then she succeeded in the World Cup directly at the first World Cup station the only victory, her 36th, so she missed the record for the most wins by Sylke Otto only a triumph. At the first World Cup victory Tatjana Huefner the German was again second, so that she stood for ten years in succession always among the top three of the overall World Cup. Also in the Challenge Cup they won for the second time in the series overall, at the 2008 European Championships she won the bronze medal behind the young competitor Huefner. Her last major event was the 2008 World Championship, where she won the bronze medal. The last kilometers of the race denied Kraushaar- Pielach on 19 February 2008 in Sigulda, before she ended her career.

Wok World Championships

Since the 2nd Wok World Championship in 2004, Kraushaar has already participated five times in this fun race. With two victories in the four -fry in the years 2006 and 2008, she is ranked third in the unofficial medal count. In both triumphs they drove together in a team with other, partly former professional toboggan or Bobsportlern as Susi Erdmann, Kiriasis or Christoph Langen. In one wok they have not went to the start.

Private life

The starting for the BSR Oberhof Thuringian Rennsteig is a kindergarten teacher. Since 1991 she was a member of the sports promotion group of the Bundeswehr in Oberhof. After the End of career, she began a career in the Bobsleigh and Luge Federation of Germany (BSD ) as manager of the toboggan Department. On July 7, 2006 Silke Kraushaar married in her hometown Sonnenberg an independent trader and has since lead the double name Kraushaar- Pielach.

Winter Olympic Games Luge at the 1998 Winter Olympics Luge at the 2002 Winter Olympics Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics FIL World Luge Championships Oberhof, Germany Gabriele Kohlisch FIL World Luge Championships 1997 Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track Nagano, Nagano Barbara Niedernhuber FIL World Luge Championships 1999 FIL World Luge Championships 2000 FIL World Luge Championships 2001 FIL World Luge Championships 2003 FIL World Luge Championships 2004 FIL World Luge Championships 2005 2006–07 Luge World Cup FIL World Luge Championships 2007 FIL World Luge Championships 2008 List of Olympic medalists in luge Ortrun Enderlein Margit Schumann Steffi Martin Doris Neuner Natalie Geisenberger Maria Isser Elly Lieber Elisabeth Nagele Ilse Geisler Petra Tierlich Barbara Piecha Melitta Sollmann Cerstin Schmidt Sonja Wiedemann Erin Hamlin FIL European Luge Championships Anna Skoda Hilde Raupach Christina Schmuck Bettina Schmidt Monika Auer Angelika Schafferer Andrea Tagwerker Integrated Authority File
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