Susi-Lisa Erdmann (later Plankensteiner, born 29 January 1968) is an East German-German luger and bobsledder who competed from 1977 to 1998 in luge, then since 1999 in bobsleigh. She was born in Blankenburg, Bezirk Magdeburg. Competing in five Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles luge event with a silver in 1994 and a bronze in 1992, and a bronze at the inaugural two-women bobsleigh event in 2002. She is one of only two people to ever win a medal in both bobsleigh and luge at the Winter Olympics; Italy's Gerda Weissensteiner is the other.

Luge career

Beside the Olympics in luge, Erdmann won ten medals at the FIL World Luge Championships, including seven golds (Women's singles: 1989, 1991, 1997; Mixed team: 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995) and three silvers (Women's singles: 1995, 1996; Mixed team: 1989). She also won seven medals at the FIL European Luge Championships, including six golds (Women's singles: 1990, 1992; Mixed team: 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998) and one bronze (Women's singles: 1998). Erdmann won the overall Luge World Cup title in women's singles twice (1990–91, 1991–92).

Bobsleigh career

Erdmann switched to bobsleigh in 1998, competing both at the Winter Olympics and the FIBT World Championships. She won three medals in the two-woman event at the World Championships, with two gold (2003, 2004) and one bronze (2001). Erdmann also won the overall two-woman Bobsleigh World Cup championships for the 2001-2 and 2002-3 seasons. Her coach was Wolfgang Hoppe, who won several medals in bobsleigh during the 1980s and 1990s when he competed for both the East Germans and the Germans following 1990 reunification.

Other activities

Erdmann is a soldier in the rank of a Hauptfeldwebel and has been stationed in Munich. It was announced on 7 September 2009 FIL website that Erdmann had married Italian luger Gerhard Plankensteiner on 28 August 2009. Plankensteiner won a bronze in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and gold in the same event at the 2009 world championships in Lake Placid.

Bobsleigh career highlights