Thomas Schwab (Luge Rider)

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Thomas Schwab (2019)

Thomas Schwab (born April 20, 1962 in Salzberg , today part of Berchtesgaden ) is a former luge rider , national luge trainer and today director general of the Bobsleigh and Sled Association for Germany (BSD).

During his active time, Thomas Schwab and Wolfgang Staudinger formed a world-class two-seater. A high point of his career was participation in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary , where the doubles came third behind the GDR doubles Jörg Hoffmann / Jochen Pietzsch and Stefan Krauße / Jan Behrendt . In the same year, both became European and German champions in Königssee . The year before, they won bronze at the World Championships in Igls behind Hoffmann / Pietzsch and Stefan Ilsanker / Georg Hackl . In the 1986/87 season they also won the overall World Cup for doubles ahead of Ilsanker / Hackl and Hansjörg Raffl / Norbert Huber . The duo has won four World Cups.

After his active career, Schwab graduated from the Cologne Trainer Academy to become a qualified trainer, which he graduated in 1991. In 1995 he replaced Sepp Lenz as the national luge coach. Under his leadership, six out of nine possible Olympic titles were won and a total of 14 out of 24 possible Olympic medals were won. Overall, his athletes won 50 gold, 43 silver and 23 bronze medals at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships.

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