After 32 years of competing in natural track luge and “a lot of time to make up my mind”, Gerhard Pilz declared his retirement. “Winning the silver medal in the World Championships in Canada somehow closed a circle for me. It is a good time to say goodbye”, said the 41-year-old Austrian and expressed his gratitude to all officials and all his colleagues for the wonderful years he has spent with luge.

He was already around when in the season 1992/93 the World Cup was installed and it was him who won the first World Cup race ever in Rautavaara in Finland on December 12th, 1992. Since then he has won 18 World Cup races, finished on the podium a total of 40 times and won the overall World Cup in the seasons 2000/01 and 2001/02. He has won five World Champion titles (1986, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996) and five more medals (silver in 2000, 2003 and 2007, bronze in 2001 as well as silver with the team in 2001). In 2002, he became European Champion, which does not leave one single title which he has failed to win.