Josef Lenz
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's Luge | ||
Representing West Germany | ||
European Championships | ||
1962 Weissenbach | Men's singles |
Josef "Sepp" Lenz (born 8 February 1934) is a West German luger who competed in the 1960s. He won the gold medal in the men's singles event at the 1962 FIL European Luge championships in Weissenbach, Austria.
Lenz competed in the men's singles event at the 1964 Winter Olympics, but was severely injured at the luge track in Igls and did not compete as a result.
Lenz later became a luge coach, being involved the early career of Austria's Markus Prock. He later became coach of the German national team, a position he held until 1995.
In December 1993, Lenz lost his left leg below the knee when he did not get out of the way of an American luger while clearing off the ice at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Winterberg, Germany. Lenz returned to coach the German team at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer two months later.
References
- CNN/SI article featuring Lenz at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
- New York Times article by Christopher Clarey in 1994 on Lenz's return from his 1993 accident.
- Wallenchinsky, David. (1984). "Men's Singles Luge". In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1896-1980. New York: Penguin Books. p. 575.