View source for Pierre Lueders

{{Short description|Canadian bobsledder (born 1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Pierre Lueders
| image            = Lueders.jpg
| image_size       = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.-->
| caption          = Lueders at the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in Turin
| birth_name       = 
| fullname         = Pierre Lueders
| nickname         = 
| nationality      = {{flagicon|CAN}} Canadian
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1970|9|26|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| height           = {{height|m=1.84|precision=0}}
| weight           = {{convert|101|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| website          = 
| country          = {{CAN}}
| sport            = [[File:Bobsleigh pictogram.svg|25px|alt=|link=]] [[Bobsleigh]]
| bobsled name     = 
| club             = 
| team             = 
| turnedpro        = 
| coach            = 
| retired          = 2010
| coaching         = 
| worlds           = 
| regionals        = 
| nationals        = 
| olympics         = [[File:Olympic rings.svg|25px]] {{gold1}}{{silver2}}
| paralympics      = 
| highestranking   = 
| pb               = 
| medaltemplates   = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Bobsleigh]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold | [[1998 Winter Olympics|1998 Nagano]] | [[Bobsleigh at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Two-man|Two-man]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Turin]] | [[Bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Two-man|Two-man]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FIBT World Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[FIBT World Championships 2004|2004 Königssee]] | Two-man }}
{{MedalGold | [[FIBT World Championships 2005|2005 Calgary]] | Two-man }}
{{MedalSilver | [[FIBT World Championships 1995|1995 Winterberg]] | Two-man }}
{{MedalSilver | [[FIBT World Championships 1996|1996 Calgary]] | Two-man }}
{{MedalSilver | [[FIBT World Championships 2003|2003 Lake Placid]] | Two-man }}
{{MedalSilver | [[FIBT World Championships 2007|2007 St. Moritz]] | Four-man }}
{{MedalBronze | [[FIBT World Championships 1999|1999 Cortina d'Ampezzo]] | Four-man }}
{{MedalBronze | [[FIBT World Championships 2005|2005 Calgary]] | Four-man }}
}}

'''Pierre Fritz Lueders''' (born 26 September 1970) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] Olympic, world and World Cup champion [[bobsled]]der who competed from 1990 to 2010. He piloted both two-man and four-man [[bobsleigh]], retiring after the [[2010 Winter Olympics]]. He was named to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/canadian-sports-hall-adds-lueders-niedermayer-others-1.1164265 |title=Canadian Sports Hall adds Lueders, Niedermayer, others |date=19 April 2012 |publisher=[[CBC Sports]]}}</ref>

==Biography==
Lueders grew up in [[Edmonton]] and went to Winterburn School for elementary and junior high. He attended Jasper Place High School for grades 10 through 12.

===Competitive career===
Originally a [[decathlon|decathlete]], in 1989 he switched to bobsleigh on the advice of a cousin who was a sportswriter in what was then East Germany, who suggested his build was better suited to the latter sport. Beginning as a brakeman and progressing rapidly, he became a pilot by 1991 and in 1992 won the first World Cup race he entered.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/events/1998/nagano/sipreview/bobsled.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211192753/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/events/1998/nagano/sipreview/bobsled.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 February 2001 |title=1998 Nagano Olympics [Preview] – Pierre Lueders |date=4 February 1998 |publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]] |author=Michael Farber}}</ref>

A five-time [[Winter Olympics|Olympian]], Lueders is the most decorated slider in Canadian history. He was the pilot of the Canadian two-man bobsleigh (teamed with [[Dave MacEachern]]) that won the gold medal at the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] (shared with the [[Italy|Italian]] duo of [[Günther Huber]] and [[Antonio Tartaglia]]). This was only Canada's second-ever medal in [[bobsleigh]], and the first since [[Vic Emery]] led his four-man crew to victory in [[Bobsleigh at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Four-man|1964]]. Lueders and MacEachern ended their partnership shortly after the 1998 Games, with MacEachern attempting to make the transition to competing as a pilot in his own right: Lueders subsequently teamed up with [[Ken Leblanc (bobsleigh)|Ken Leblanc]] and [[Giulio Zardo]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Snyder |first=Lorraine|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |title=Pierre Lueders |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pierre-lueders |access-date=13 February 2019|date=22 February 2018}}</ref> At the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in [[Salt Lake City, Utah|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. At the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin, Italy|Turin]], in the [[Bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics#Two Man event|two-man]] event, he and his brakeman [[Lascelles Brown]] won silver despite having to contend with heavy snowfall.

Lueders also won eight medals at the [[FIBT World Championships]] with two golds (Two-man: [[FIBT World Championships 2004|2004]], [[FIBT World Championships 2005|2005]]), four silvers (Two-man: [[FIBT World Championships 1995|1995]], [[FIBT World Championships 1996|1996]], [[FIBT World Championships 2003|2003]]; Four-man: [[FIBT World Championships 2007|2007]]), and two bronzes (Four-man: [[FIBT World Championships 1999|1999]], [[FIBT World Championships 2005|2005]]).

In the [[List of Bobsleigh World Cup champions|Bobsleigh World Cup]], Lueders won the combined men's event four times (1993-4, 1994–5, 1997–8, 2005-6), the two-man event a record 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 88 career medals in the Bobsleigh World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.olympic.ca/en/news/lueders-leads-canada-bobsleigh-world-cup-season/ |title=Lueders Leads Canada into Bobsleigh World Cup Season |date=18 November 2008 |publisher=Canadian Olympic Committee |first=Jeff |last=Jurmain |access-date=4 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313050218/http://www.olympic.ca/en/news/lueders-leads-canada-bobsleigh-world-cup-season/ |archive-date=13 March 2010 }}</ref>

Lueders and his brakeman [[Justin Kripps]] made the first run down the [[Whistler Sliding Centre]], a facility built for 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, his first crash since the 2001 Goodwill Games.

In [[Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics|2010]], he finished 5th in the two-man bobsleigh race. He finish 5th in the four-man bobsleigh.

===Coaching career===
Lueders retired after the Vancouver Games and was named as a national bobsleigh team development coach. He left the job in May 2012, saying he wanted a break from the sport after 22 years as an athlete and coach.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/pierre-lueders-leaves-national-bobsled-team-1.1254277 |title=Pierre Lueders leaves national bobsled team |date=24 May 2012 |publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref>

However just over a week later Lueders was appointed head coach of the Russian national bobsleigh team<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/pierre-lueders-joining-russian-bobsleigh-team-as-head-coach-1.1263648 |title=Pierre Lueders joining Russian bobsleigh team as head coach |last1=Perry |first1=Rod |date=4 June 2012 |website=[[cbc.ca]] |access-date=28 January 2014}}</ref> that would go on to win two gold medals at the [[Bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Sochi Winter Olympics]]. He left his position as Russia coach in June 2016.<ref name=linkedin>{{cite web |url=https://ca.linkedin.com/in/pierre-lueders-31739a11a |title=Pierre Lueders |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=[[LinkedIn]] |access-date=9 November 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In October 2017 he became caretaker head coach for the Republic of Korea's bobsleigh team ahead of their campaign on home ice at the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in [[Pyeongchang]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/news/8-bobsleigh/20231-olympic-champion-pierre-lueders-coach-in-korea |title=Olympic Champion Pierre Lueders coach in Korea |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=12 October 2017 |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref> In the [[Bobsleigh at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Four-man|four-man bodsleigh event]], the Koreans consisting of Won Yun-jong (pilot), Seo Young-woo, Jun Jung-lin and Kim Dong-hyun tied with one of the German teams for the silver medal, the first Olympic medal won by an Asian bobsleigh team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/02/26/0200000000AEN20180226006200315.html|title = Yonhap News Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180225000150|title = &#91;PyeongChang 2018&#93; S. Korea's 4-man bobsleigh team goes from underdog to silver medal winner|date = 25 February 2018}}</ref>

===Personal life===
As of 1997, Lueders resides in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]]. Outside of bobsledding, Lueders joined [[Sotheby's International Realty]] as an associate in Calgary in January 2017.<ref name=linkedin />

==Results==

===World Cup Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center"
|-
! align="center" | Rank
! Season
! Event
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1993–94
| Two-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1993–94
| Combined
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1994–95
| Two-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1994–95
| Four-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1994–95
| Combined
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1996–97
| Two-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1997–98
| Combined
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 1997–98
| Two-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 2002–03
| Two-man
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 2005–06
| Combined
|-
| {{gold1}}
| 2005–06
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 1995–96
| Combined
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 1995–96
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 2001–02
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 2003–04
| Combined
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 2003–04
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 2004–05
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| [[2006–07 Bobsleigh World Cup|2006–07]]
| Two-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| 2005-06
| Four-man
|-
| {{silver2}}
| [[2006–07 Bobsleigh World Cup|2006–07]]
| Combined
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 1996–97
| Combined
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 1998–99
| Combined
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 1998–99
| Two-man
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 1999–00
| Combined
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 1999–00
| Four-man
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 2004–05
| Combined
|-
| {{bronze3}}
| 2004–05
| Four-man
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IBSF profile|100077|Pierre Lueders}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|pierre-lueders-1}}
* {{SR/Olympics profile|lu/pierre-lueders-1}}
* [http://sports123.com/bob/mo-2.html Bobsleigh two-man Olympic medalists 1932–56 and since 1964] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003134007/http://sports123.com/bob/mo-2.html |date=3 October 2018 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091333/http://sports123.com/bob/mw-2.html Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071211002351/http://sports123.com/bob/mw-4.html Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070827100218/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LUEDEPIE01 DatabaseOlympics.com profile]
* [https://archive.today/20131117055757/http://www.fibt.com/en/news/latest-news/news-article/news/1616.html "Gibson, De-La-Hunty, Lueders named Canadian coaches"]. International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. (1 July 2010 article accessed 2 July 2010.)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409025403/http://sports123.com/bob/mwc-c.html List of combined men's bobsleigh World Cup champions: 1985–2007]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409025356/http://sports123.com/bob/mwc-4.html List of four-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409025349/http://sports123.com/bob/mwc-2.html List of two-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985]

{{Footer Olympic Champions Bobsleigh Two-man}}
{{Footer World Champions Bobsleigh Two-man}}
{{Footer World Cup Champions Bobsleigh Men's Combined}}
{{Footer World Cup Champions Bobsleigh Two-Man}}
{{Footer World Cup Champions Bobsleigh Four-Man}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lueders, Pierre}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bobsledders at the 1994 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Bobsledders at the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Bobsledders at the 2002 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Bobsledders at the 2006 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Bobsledders at the 2010 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Canadian male bobsledders]]
[[Category:Canadian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Canadian sports coaches]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bobsledders for Canada]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Canada]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in bobsleigh]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Canada]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Edmonton]]