Klaus Bonsack
Encyclopedia
Klaus Bonsack (sometimes shown as Klaus-Michael Bonsack, born 26 December 1941) is an East German former luge
r who competed during the 1960s and early 1970s.
He was born in Waltershausen
, Thuringia
.
He won four Winter Olympic medal in men's luge with one gold (doubles: 1968
), one silver (singles: 1964
), and two bronzes (singles: 1968, doubles: 1972
).
Bonsack also won five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with one gold (doubles: 1967
), two silvers (doubles: 1965
, singles: 1967), and two bronzes (singles: 1963
, doubles: 1969
).
Bonsack later served as chairman of the track construction commission, approving the final homologation of Cesana Pariol
prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics
for luge
to compete at the track. He was among the first three inductees in the International Luge Federation (FIL) Hall of Fame in 2004, along with Paul Hildgartner
and Margit Schumann
.
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
r who competed during the 1960s and early 1970s.
He was born in Waltershausen
Waltershausen
Waltershausen is a city in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany.The town has a population of 11475 .-Sister cities: Bruay-sur-l'Escaut, France Korbach, Germany Wolbrom, Poland Hanau, Germany -External links:*...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
He won four Winter Olympic medal in men's luge with one gold (doubles: 1968
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
), one silver (singles: 1964
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
), and two bronzes (singles: 1968, doubles: 1972
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
).
Bonsack also won five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with one gold (doubles: 1967
FIL World Luge Championships 1967
The FIL World Luge Championships 1967 took place in Hammarstrand, Sweden. This event was held following the cancellation of the previous year's championships in Friedrichroda, East Germany, which was the last cancellation in the history of the world championships.-Men's singles:-Women's...
), two silvers (doubles: 1965
FIL World Luge Championships 1965
The FIL World Luge Championships 1965 took place in Davos, Switzerland. This is the second time the city has hosted the event, having done so in 1957.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:...
, singles: 1967), and two bronzes (singles: 1963
FIL World Luge Championships 1963
-Men's singles:-Women's singles:Geisler becomes the first woman to repeat as World Champion.-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...
, doubles: 1969
FIL World Luge Championships 1969
The FIL World Luge Championships 1969 took place in Königssee, West Germany. It marked the first time the event took place on a permanent, artificially refrigerated track in bobsleigh, luge, and/ or skeleton.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:...
).
Bonsack later served as chairman of the track construction commission, approving the final homologation of Cesana Pariol
Cesana Pariol
Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana...
prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
for luge
Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The Luge competition at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games was held at Cesana Pariol in Cesana, Italy. Three events were staged, taking place from February 11 to February 15. These were the first games where a qualifying system was used to determine the enterants into the games.-Medal...
to compete at the track. He was among the first three inductees in the International Luge Federation (FIL) Hall of Fame in 2004, along with Paul Hildgartner
Paul Hildgartner
Paul Hildgartner is an Italian of German descent former luger who competed from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he earned two gold medals and one silver medal for his efforts...
and Margit Schumann
Margit Schumann
Margit Schumann is an East German luger who competed during the 1970s and early 1980s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles event with a gold in 1976 and a bronze in 1972).Schumann also won four consecutive gold medals at the FIL World Luge Championships...
.