The 1st FIL Natural Track Luge European Championship took place from January 24th to 25th, 1970 in Kapfenberg , Austria . The staging of this first European championship was decided at the FIL Congress in June 1969 and the Kapfenberg Luge Club was entrusted with its implementation. Nine nations had promised to participate ( Federal Republic of Germany , the German Democratic Republic , Italy , Yugoslavia , Canada , Austria, Spain , Czechoslovakia and the USA ), but only five nations (Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic, Italy, Yugoslavia and Austria). For GDR athletes who were previously exclusively active on artificial track, it was the only participation in natural track luge European championships. The host country Austria won all three competitions and seven out of nine medals, two medals went to Italy.
The first European champion in the men's singles was the Austrian Ernst Stangl , who relegated his teammate Anton Obernosterer to second place by just a tenth of a second in the last run . The bronze medal was won by Gottfried Lexer , also from Austria.
As in the single-seater competitions, victory in the two-seater went to Austria. Anton Obernosterer and Josef Lexer , who won silver and bronze in the single-seater competition, became European champions in the double-seater. The silver medal went to the Italian doubles Hans Graber and Erich Graber . Bronze went to the Austrians Josef Hilgarter and Gerhard Sandhofer .
Harald Steyrer, Herbert Wurzer, Egon Theiner: 50 years of FIL 1957–2007. The history of the International Luge Federation in three volumes . tapeI . Egoth Verlag, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-902480-46-0 , p.172-173 .
Harald Steyrer, Herbert Wurzer, Egon Theiner: 50 years of FIL 1957–2007. The history of the International Luge Federation in three volumes . tapeII . Egoth Verlag, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-902480-46-0 , p.313 .
Ernst Stangl
Erich Graber
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Julij Ulčar
Anton Ostler
Klaus Deschner
