FIL flowers for South Tyrolean luge legend: Paul Hildgartner has turned 70 years old
Kiens (KA) The FIL Family now congratulates one of its pioneers, Paul Hildgartner from the South Tyrolean "Pustertal" Valley, on his 70th birthday, which he celebrated on June 8. Hildgartner, one of the first three who were allowed to "enter" the Hall of Fame of the World Luge Federation in 2004, together with the Germans Margit Schumann (Oberhof) and Klaus Bonsack (Oberwiesenthal).
The jubilarian is a legend of his region blessed with world-class lugers and one of Italy's most successful winter athletes ever. Twice gold at the Olympic Winter Games (OWG) 1972 and 1984 and once silver (1980). Five times participant in this greatest sporting event in the world - in the period of 16 (!) years. And twice honored to lead the Azzurri into the stadium under the tricolor. It was in Sarajevo in 1984 and in Calgary in 1988.
Hildgartner's honor roll reflects only a part of his numerous successes, a career spanning almost 20 years on all artificial tracks between 1970 and 1988.
The career of the now 70-year-old from Kiens-Ehrenburg had begun thanks to his older brother Leopold on the natural track, "the elementary basis of a luger for the driving feeling and the control of the sled", as the jubilarian says today.
This is proven by the glorious South Tyrolean luge history, with names such as Erika Lechner (OWG Gold 1968), Gerda Weissensteiner (OWG Gold 1994), Ernst Haspinger (3x World Cup winner), Karl Brunner (World Championship 1971), Hansjörg Raffl and the four Huber brothers (multiple World Championships and OWG Gold), Kurt Brugger (OWG Gold 1994) - and many others who learned the ABC of sledding on natural tracks.
Outstanding above all was the unique Armin Zöggeler. Perhaps the "eternal number 1" in the luge world. In his glorious medal trail now, 2022, with Dominik Fischnaller won bronze in Beijing, finally also a South Tyrolean again.
Paul Hildgartner's long-time doubles partner Walter Plaikner (71) remembers his frontdriver as "someone who totally lived for the sport of luge, who was a great athlete, ambitious and disciplined." So disciplined, in fact, that he once locked the door of their shared room in Imst in the evening - because Plaikner had missed the curfew by ten minutes.
Incidentally, Hildgartner emphasizes today, both athletes owe their successes to a German coach: Sepp Mair from Schliersee. And to their Carabnieri sports group in the Gardena valley. Even after their career - for Hildgartner it ended on the single-sled only in 1988 - the dream team remained faithful to the sport of luge: Hildgartner worked as a coach in Norway and Canada; Plaikner for over 20 years with the Squadra Azzurra, many years also in Japan, USA and Russia. Together they served the FIL with their experience for a long time as Technical Delegates, Plaikner also in the Track Construction Commission.
Nowadays, as retirees, they meet with friends as often as they can for their common hobby, "Watten", a traditional card game. But for them it is not about the South Tyrolean "Watten king", but about who will be the loser and pay for the afternoon coffee. For decades, Paul Hildgartner was also an innkeeper "on the side". Or rather, the right hand of his wife Margit (married for 40 years), who owned the historic "Gasthof Knapp" in Kiens-Ehrenburg - popular especially for its South Tyrolean specialties and in autumn the "Törggelen" with the very young new wine. Unfortunately, the sign "Closed" hangs on the restaurant at the moment. Because Hildgartner's wife, as "the South Tyrolean grandma," is helping out the family of his son Alexander, who has been working as a doctor in Thuringia for 14 years and is burdened by health problems.
For this reason there was also no large family celebration to the 70th of Paul Hildgartner: Merely a small one with daughter Katharina, studied art historian and young married, as well as brother Leopold took place. But the "birthday boy" was delighted to receive a flood of congratulations. "The phones rang from morning till night.... Great, I didn't expect that." Nor that South Tyrol's most popular newspaper "Dolomiten" had dedicated a special page to him and - the FIL sent congratulations! "With a wonderful bouquet of flowers, for which I thanked in Berchtesgaden still in the evening". With a photo and the very first mail from his cell phone.
Yes, so spontaneous he is, the Paul Hildgartner. Sometimes also with its largest hobby, shared with its wife, the hunt. Therefore it is not a fairy tale what the old people in the Pustertal sometimes tell each other at the regulars' tables: Do you remember in 1972, in the spring, when Paule in his brand new Fiat (premium for the gold medal in Sapporo, the author) saw a hare on the way to Olang...chased it "blindly" across the meadow...splintered a wooden pole.... and Olang was without electric power for two hours... Youthful sins, long since forgiven. "Woll !"
Text by Klaus Angermann (ZDF luge reporter at eight Winter Olympic Games)
Photo on the right from the family album: Paul Hildgartner and wife Margit "framed" by Klaus Angermann and his wife Renate.
Paul Hildgartner's honor roll
Olympic Games
1972 Sapporo: Gold doubles with Walter Plaikner
1980 Lake Placid: Silver singles
1984 Sarajevo: Gold singles
World Championships
1971 Olang: Gold with W. Plaikner
1978 Imst: Gold single seater
1973 Oberhof: Bronze/Plaikner
1979 Königssee: Bronze/Plaikner
1983 Lake Placid: Bronze/Plaikner
European Championships
1971 Imst: Gold doubles with Plaikner
1974 Kufstein: Gold doubles/Plaikner
1978 Hammarstrand:Gold single
1980 Olang: Silver single
1984 Olang: Gold single
World Cup overall winner
1978/79, 1980/81 (together with Ernst Haspinger), 1982/83
World Cup individual victories
Eleven between 1977 and 1987
Special honors
1984 and 1988 Flag bearer of Italy at the Olympic Winter Games
2004 First luger in the Hall of Fame of the World Luge Federation FIL
2006 Curve 17 of the Olympic track Cesana receives the name "Paul Hildgartner
Photos: private
