Ulrich Hahn (Luge Rider)

Bernd and Ulrich Hahn (left) at the GDR championships in 1975

Ulrich "Ulli" Hahn (born November 5, 1955 in Elbingerode ) is a former German luge athlete . Together with his one year older brother Bernd Hahn, he formed one of the most successful luge two-seaters of the 1970s and early 1980s.

Life

Ulrich Hahn started for the SC Tractor Oberwiesenthal . Both celebrated their first international success when they won the silver medal at the European Luge Championships in 1973 behind Hans Rinn and Norbert Hahn , who were to become their main national competitors in the following years. Norbert Hahn was not related to the brothers. In 1974 they won their first title at the world championships in Königssee . In 1975 they repeated the title win in Hammarstrand , setting a track record in the last round, and also won third place at the EM behind their compatriots Rinn / Hahn and Horst Müller / Hans-Jörg Neumann . Ironically, the 1976 Olympic year ended the first series of successes. At the games in Innsbruck , the doubles only came in a disappointing 16th place. In 1978 they found their way back to the old successful track and won the silver medal at the European Championships behind Rinn / Hahn. They finished the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in a thankless fourth place. At the European Championships they took second place - again behind their long-term rivals Rinn / Hahn. The Hahn / Hahn doubles celebrated one last major title at the 1981 World Championships in Hammarstrand, where they won their third title.

In the World Cup, Bernd and Ulrich Hahn were not particularly successful, especially because the competition was only introduced in the 1977/78 season and it took some time to assert itself. In the early days in particular, the GDR Association kept sending different starters. They won two races, 1978/79 in Imst and 1980/81 there . Nationally they were initially in the shadow of Rinn / Hahn. In 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1978 they were runner-up behind these champions, and in 1975 they came third because Müller / Neumann surprisingly won the title. In 1979 and 1980 they won the title. Ulrich Hahn is married to Christine Scheiblich .

In 1974 Ulrich Hahn and his brother were awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in bronze.

successes

World Cup victories

Two-seater

No.	date	place	train
1.	0Feb. 5, 1978	Hammar Beach	Hammarstrand bobsleigh run
2.	Jan. 11, 1981	Imst	Imst toboggan run

Web links

Commons : Ulrich Hahn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ulrich Hahn in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Berliner Zeitung , May 18, 1974, p. 4