Quick Facts
Biography
Gerda Weissensteiner (born 3 January 1969 in Bolzano, South Tyrol) is an Italian luger and bobsleigh pilot who has competed from the late 1980s to 2006. Competing in six Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's singles luge event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, and together with Jennifer Isacco she won the bronze in Turin in the two-woman bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Luge career
Weissensteiner won eleven medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including two gold (Women's singles: 1993, Mixed team: 1989), three silvers (Women's singles: 1989, Mixed team: 1990, 1995), and six bronzes (Women's singles: 1995, 1996; Mixed team: 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997).
She was also won seven medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with two golds (Mixed team and Women's singles: both in 1994), two silvers (Women's singles: 1990; Mixed team: 1998), and three bronzes (Mixed team: 1988, 1990, 1996).
Weissensteiner won the overall Luge World Cup title in women's singles twice (1992-3, 1997-8). She was also the flagbearer at the opening ceremonies of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
Bobsleigh career
Weissensteiner switched to bobsleigh in 2001. She finished seventh in the 2-woman bobsleigh (with the former biker Antonella Bellutti, gold medalist in cycling) at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Her best finish in the Bobsleigh World Cup championship was third twice in the two-woman event. (2002-3, 2003-4 (tied with Germany's Susi Erdmann)). She finished sixth in the 2-woman bobsleigh event at the 2005 FIBT World Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The following year, Weissensteiner joined Erdmann as being one of only two people to win a medal in both bobsleigh and luge at the Winter Olympics.
She retired from all competition after the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.