Pierre Lueders
Encyclopedia
Pierre Fritz Lueders is a Canadian
bobsledder who competed from 1990 to 2010. He piloted both two-man and four-man bobsleigh
, retiring after the 2010 Winter Olympics
. In June 2010, he was named coach of the Canadian development bobsleigh team.
(shared with Italy
). This was only Canada's second ever medal in bobsleigh
. At the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City
Lueders placed a disappointing fifth place finish in two-man, and ninth in four-man, causing him to take the 2002-03 season off in four-man.
Lueders also won eight medals at the FIBT World Championships
with two golds (Two-man: 2004
, 2005
), seven silvers (Two-man: 1995
, 1996
, 2003
; Four-man: 2007
) and two bronzes (Four-man: 1999
, 2005
).
In the Bobsleigh World Cup, Lueders won the combined men's event four times (1993-4, 1994-5, 1997-8, 2005-6), the two-man event six times (1993-4, 1994-5, 1996-7, 1997-8, 2002-3, 2005-6), and the four-man event once (1994-5). Pierre Lueders has won 85 career medals in the Bobsleigh World Cup.
In 2006
, he turned down the offer to carry the Canadian flag during the Opening Ceremonies
of the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin, Italy. During the two-man event he and his brakeman Lascelles Brown
won silver despite having to contend with heavy snowfall.
Lueders and his brakeman Justin Kripps
made the first run down the Whistler Sliding Centre
, a facility of the 2010 Winter Olympics
, on 19 December 2007. Turn 7 at the Sliding Centre, "Lueders Loop", is named in his honor after he crashed out his sled during the track's homologation in March 2008.
In 2010
, he finished 5th in the two-man bobsleigh race. He finish 5th in the four-man bobsleigh. Lueders retired after the games and was named as a development bobsleigh coach.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
bobsledder who competed from 1990 to 2010. He piloted both two-man and four-man bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, retiring after the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. In June 2010, he was named coach of the Canadian development bobsleigh team.
Biography
Lueders grew up in Edmonton and went to Winterburn School for elementary and junior high. He also attended Jasper Place High School for grades 10 through 12.Sports career
A five-time olympian, Lueders is the most decorated slider in Canadian history. He was the pilot of the Canadian two-man bobsleigh team, winner of the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
(shared with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). This was only Canada's second ever medal in bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
. At the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
Lueders placed a disappointing fifth place finish in two-man, and ninth in four-man, causing him to take the 2002-03 season off in four-man.
Lueders also won eight medals at the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
with two golds (Two-man: 2004
FIBT World Championships 2004
The FIBT World Championships 2004 took place in Königssee, Germany for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1979, 1986, and 1990 . This marked the first time all the events were in a single location at the championships since the 1996 event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.-Two man:-Four man:-Two...
, 2005
FIBT World Championships 2005
The FIBT World Championships 2005 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1992 , 1996, and 2001 .-Two man:-Four man:-Two woman:-Men:-Women:...
), seven silvers (Two-man: 1995
FIBT World Championships 1995
The FIBT World Championships 1995 took place in Winterberg, Germany and Lillehammer, Norway . This was the first time both cities hosted a championship event.-Two man bobsleigh:...
, 1996
FIBT World Championships 1996
The FIBT World Championships 1996 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a second time, hosting the event previously in 1992 . It marked the first time the bobsleigh and skeleton competition took place in the same location at the championships since 1982.-Two man bobsleigh:-Four man...
, 2003
FIBT World Championships 2003
The FIBT World Championships 2003 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States , Winterberg, Germany , and Nagano, Japan . Lake Placid hosted the championship event for the eighth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1997...
; Four-man: 2007
FIBT World Championships 2007
The FIBT World Championships 2007 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record twenty-first time, doing so previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989 , 1990 , 1997 , 1998 , and 2001...
) and two bronzes (Four-man: 1999
FIBT World Championships 1999
The FIBT World Championships 1999 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Altenberg, Germany . Cortina hosted the championships for the ninth time, previously doing so in 1937 , 1939 , 1950, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1981, and 1989...
, 2005
FIBT World Championships 2005
The FIBT World Championships 2005 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1992 , 1996, and 2001 .-Two man:-Four man:-Two woman:-Men:-Women:...
).
In the Bobsleigh World Cup, Lueders won the combined men's event four times (1993-4, 1994-5, 1997-8, 2005-6), the two-man event six times (1993-4, 1994-5, 1996-7, 1997-8, 2002-3, 2005-6), and the four-man event once (1994-5). Pierre Lueders has won 85 career medals in the Bobsleigh World Cup.
In 2006
Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Canada competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, with a team of 196 athletes and 220 support staff.As host of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada was pressured to do well at the 2006 Games...
, he turned down the offer to carry the Canadian flag during the Opening Ceremonies
2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy....
of 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...
in Turin, Italy. During the two-man event he and his brakeman Lascelles Brown
Lascelles Brown
Lascelles Brown is a Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder who has competed since 1999 . Competing in three Winter Olympics, he is the first Jamaican-born athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal...
won silver despite having to contend with heavy snowfall.
Lueders and his brakeman Justin Kripps
Justin Kripps
Justin Kripps is a Canadian bobsledder who has competed since 2006. He won his first Bobsleigh World Cup race in the men's four bob at the meeting in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, January 2008 alongside Pierre Lueders, Ken Kotyk and David Bissett.On December 19, 2007, Kripps and Lueders became the...
made the first run down the Whistler Sliding Centre
Whistler Sliding Centre
The Whistler Sliding Centre is a Canadian bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Whistler, British Columbia, that is north of Vancouver. The centre is part of the Whistler Blackcomb resort, which comprises two ski mountains separated by Fitzsimmons Creek...
, a facility of the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, on 19 December 2007. Turn 7 at the Sliding Centre, "Lueders Loop", is named in his honor after he crashed out his sled during the track's homologation in March 2008.
In 2010
Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Canada hosted and participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada previously hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Canada sent a team of 206 athletes , including participants in all 15 sports...
, he finished 5th in the two-man bobsleigh race. He finish 5th in the four-man bobsleigh. Lueders retired after the games and was named as a development bobsleigh coach.
Personal life
As of 2009, Lueders resides in Calgary, Alberta with his wife, Sandra, and two daughters, Zoe and Maya. He can be seen in some commercials as well.World Cup Championships
| Rank | Season | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Two-man | |
| 1993-94 | Combined | |
| 1994-95 | Two-man | |
| 1994-95 | Four-man | |
| 1994-95 | Combined | |
| 1996-97 | Two-man | |
| 1997-98 | Combined | |
| 1997-98 | Two-man | |
| 2002-03 | Two-man | |
| 2005-06 | Combined | |
| 2005-06 | Two-man | |
| 1995-96 | Combined | |
| 1995-96 | Two-man | |
| 2001-02 | Two-man | |
| 2003-04 | Combined | |
| 2003-04 | Two-man | |
| 2004-05 | Two-man | |
| 2006–07 | Two-man | |
| 2005-06 | Four-man | |
| 2006–07 | Combined | |
| 1996-97 | Combined | |
| 1998-99 | Combined | |
| 1998-99 | Two-man | |
| 1999-00 | Combined | |
| 1999-00 | Four-man | |
| 2004-05 | Combined | |
| 2004-05 | Four-man |
External links
- Bobsleigh two-man Olympic medalists 1932-56 and since 1964
- Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931
- Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930
- DatabaseOlympics.com profile (1 July 2010 article accessed 2 July 2010.)
- List of combined men's bobsleigh World Cup champions: 1985-2007
- List of four-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985
- List of two-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985