Susi Erdmann

Susi Erdmann started her luge career at the age of 9, moving to Oberhof in 1981, and becoming a sport soldier in the former East German Army in 1988. After reunification she was a civil employee at the West German Bundeswehr, before they recruited female soldiers in 1992. She then moved to the sport support group at Berechtesgaden, and in 1997 was the first female professional sanitary soldier employed by the Bundeswehr. After the 1998 Nagano Olympics Erdmann switched to bobsleigh in 2000, later qualifying for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Besides her two Olympic medals Erdmann won her first World Championship in luge in 1989 in the singles, followed by titles in 1991 and 1997. She also won the European Championships in 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1998 and twice was an overall World Cup Winner (1991 and 1992). Additionally she was on the team World Champion four times (1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995). In bobsleigh Erdmann was overall World Cup champion and won the bronze medal at the Olympics in 2002, later winning the World Championship in the two-man bob in 2003 and 2004. Erdmann posed naked for German Playboy in 2004. In another rather esoteric sport, she won the Wok World Championships, which is a funsport competition organized by famous German TV entertainer Stefan Raab, in the four-man wok at Winterberg in 2006, repeating that title in 2008. In November 2007 Erdmann retired, marrying Italian luger Gerhard Plankensteiner in 2009.