Silke Kraushaar-Pielach

Silke Kraushaar-Pielach

Kraushaar-Pielach in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1970-10-10) 10 October 1970 (age 54) Sonneberg, Bezirk Suhl, East Germany
Medal record Women's luge Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1998 Nagano Women's singles 2006 Turin Women's singles 2002 Salt Lake City Women's singles World Championships 2000 St. Moritz Mixed team 2001 Calgary Mixed team 2004 Nagano Women's singles 2007 Igls Mixed team 1997 Igls Mixed team 1999 Königssee Mixed team 2000 St. Moritz Women's singles 2001 Calgary Women's singles 2007 Igls Women's singles 2008 Oberhof Women's singles World Cup Championships 1998-99 Women's singles 2000-01 Women's singles 2001-02 Women's singles 2005-06 Women's singles 2006-07 Women's singles 1997-98 Women's singles 1999-00 Women's singles 2002-03 Women's singles 2003-04 Women's singles 2004-05 Women's singles 2007-08 Women's singles European Championships 1998 Oberhof Women's singles 1998 Oberhof Mixed team 2002 Altenberg Mixed team 2004 Oberhof Women's singles 2004 Oberhof Mixed team 2006 Winterberg Women's singles 2006 Winterberg Mixed team 2000 Winterberg Women's singles 2002 Altenberg Women's singles 2008 Cesana Women's singles

Silke Kraushaar-Pielach (born Silke Kraushaar on 10 October 1970 in Sonneberg, Bezirk Suhl) is a German luger who competed from 1995 to 2008. In June 2008, she was named sports manager for the luge section of Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland (BSD - German bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton federation).

Competing in three Winter Olympics, Kraushaar-Pielach won a complete set of medals in the women's singles event with a gold in 1998 (when she beat her team-mate Barbara Niedernhuber by 2 thousandths of a second), a silver in 2006, and a bronze in 2002.

She also won ten medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds (Women's singles: 2004, Mixed team: 2000, 2001, 2007), four silvers (Women's singles: 2000, 2001; Mixed team: 1997, 1999), and two bronze (Women's singles: 2007, 2008).

Kraushaar-Pielach won ten medals at the FIL European Luge Championships, including seven golds (Women's singles: 1998, 2004, 2006; Mixed team: 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006) and three silvers (Women's singles: 2000, 2002, 2008).

She also won the overall Luge World Cup five times (1998-9, 2000-1, 2001-2, 2005-6, 2006-7). Kraushaar-Pielach started her last season off with a win in the women's singles event at Lake Placid, New York, on 16 November 2007. Her last race in Sigulda, Latvia, on 16 February 2008 saw her finishing third, the same place where she won her first World Cup event on 30 November 1996.

In June 2008, Kraushaar-Pielach was named manager of the luge section of the BSD, the German bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton federation.

She married German businessman Michael Pielach on 7 July 2006. It was announced on FIL's website on 24 January 2008 that the sled that she had competed with until 1995 had been auctioned on the German version of eBay from 19 to 26 January. Kraushaar-Pielach stated that the proceeds from the auction would be used to benefit young luge. The sled sold for € 1160 and the proceeds went to her sledding club in Oberhof.

• FIL-Luge August 21, 2006 article on Kraushaar's marriage - accessed November 24, 2007.
• FIL-Luge January 24, 2008 article on Kraushaar-Pielach's sled donation on eBay. - Accessed January 24, 2008.
• FIL-Luge January 31, 2008 article on Kraushaar-Pielach's sled being sold. - Accessed January 31, 2008.
• FIL-Luge November 16, 2007 on Kraushaar-Pielach's victory starting her farewell tour.
• FIL-Luge.org article on Kraushaar-Pielach's last race in Sigulda, Latvia. - accessed February 16, 2008.
• FIL-Luge June 2, 2008 article on Kraushaar-Pielach's transition from athlete to sports official. - accessed June 13, 2008.
• FIL-Luge profile
• Fuzilogik Sports - Winter Olympic results - Women's luge at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-06-10)
• Hickoksports.com results on Olympic champions in luge and skeleton. at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-06-30)
• Hickok sports information on World champions in luge and skeleton at archive.today (archived 2012-12-04)
• List of European luge champions (in German)
• List of women's singles luge World Cup champions since 1978 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-02-06)
• NBC Biography
• Official website (in German)
• SportQuick.com information on World champions in luge at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-09-27) (in French)

• Silke Kraushaar-Pielach at FIL
• Silke Kraushaar-Pielach at Olympics.com
• Silke Kraushaar-Pielach at Olympedia