Peter Utzschneider

Peter Utzschneider (born March 6, 1946 in Murnau am Staffelsee ) is a former German bobsleigh driver and Olympic champion .

Utzschneider had his greatest successes as a pusher / brakeman with the bobsleigh pilot Wolfgang Zimmerer . He took part in the Winter Olympics with him three times. In 1972 he won at the Games of Sapporo gold in the two-and bronze in the quadruple. Four years later, at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck , he again won bronze in a foursome. At world championships he won gold in Lake Placid in 1969 in a four-man, in 1970 in St. Moritz silver in both bobsleigh classes, in 1971 in Cervinia bronze in a four-man, 1973 in Lake Placid as at the 1972 Olympic Games in two-man and bronze in four-man. In 1974 in St. Moritz there was a double victory in both bobsleighs. In 1974 in Cervinia, Italy, Utzschneider won a four-man bronze and in 1976 a bronze in Igls . Here, however, Manfred Schumann , who shortly before had switched to bobsleigh as the first German athlete, competed with Zimmerer in a pair .

Utzschneider also made a successful start with his pilot Zimmerer at European Championships. In 1967 in Igls, the doubles won a two-man bronze for the first time, and a year later even gold in St. Moritz. 1970 in Cortina d'Ampezzo for the first time gold four and bronze in two. A year later there was again a two-man bronze and silver in the four-man bobsleigh in Königssee . In 1972 in St. Moritz they won gold in two and again silver in four. A year later in Cervinia they made the double again. The last medal was silver in the four-man bobsleigh in St. Moritz in 1976.

On June 8, 1970, he was awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf for his sporting achievements . On March 1, 1976, he became an honorary citizen of the municipality of Ohlstadt , and on December 12, 1989, Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker awarded him the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany with the Order of Merit .

Web links

Commons : Peter Utzschneider  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Peter Utzschneider in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sports report of the Federal Government of September 29, 1973 to the Bundestag, printed matter 7/1040, p. 55