Klaus Bonsack
 Bonsack in 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 26 December 1941 Waltershausen, Gau Thuringia, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 5 March 2023 (aged 81) Innsbrück, Austria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Klaus Bonsack (26 December 1941 – 5 March 2023), also known as Klaus-Michael Bonsack, was an East German luger who competed during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Bonsack was born in Waltershausen, Thuringia on 26 December 1941. He won four Winter Olympic medals in men's luge, including 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, including 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 compatriot Margit Schumann and Italian luger Paul Hildgartner.
Bonsack later emigrated to Austria where he became a luge coach. One of his students, Doris Neuner, won gold in the women's singles event at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Bonsack died in Innsbruck on 5 March 2023, at the age of 81.[1][2]
References
[edit]- ^ "DDR-Rodellegende Klaus Bonsack gestorben". mdr.de (in German). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ March 6, 2023 FIL website news on Bonsack passing. - accessed March 7, 2023.
Sources
[edit]- FIL approves track for use for the 2006 Winter Olympics, featuring Bonsack
- FIL-Luge.org January 7, 2004 Hall of Fame induction.
- Fuzilogik Sports – Winter Olympic results – Men's luge[usurped]
- Hickok sports information on World champions in luge and skeleton.
- List of Great Olympians BO Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
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- 1941 births
- 2023 deaths
- People from Waltershausen
- German male lugers
- Sportspeople from Thuringia
- German emigrants to Austria
- Olympic lugers for the United Team of Germany
- Olympic lugers for East Germany
- East German male lugers
- Lugers at the 1964 Winter Olympics
- Lugers at the 1968 Winter Olympics
- Lugers at the 1972 Winter Olympics
- Olympic silver medalists for the United Team of Germany
- Olympic gold medalists for East Germany
- Olympic bronze medalists for East Germany
- Olympic medalists in luge
- Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 1972 Winter Olympics
- Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in gold
- Recipients of the Banner of Labor
- German luge biography stubs
- German Winter Olympic medalist stubs