Wilfried HUBER

During his international career spanning more than 20 years, Wilfried Huber competed in both singles and doubles, although it was doubles where he achieved the most merits together with his partner Kurt Brugger. He made his début in the World Cup in the 1986-87 season gaining his first podium rank in January 1987 and first victory in December 1988, both in doubles. In the overall World Cup the pair placed second in the 1989-90, 1992-93, 1994-95 and 1997-98 seasons and Huber placed third once in singles in the 1996-97 season. He won a total of 10 World Cup races, three in singles and seven in doubles.

Huber participated in six Winter Olympics, equaling the record for winter sports. He could have improved the record, but after the 2010 selections the Italian head coach Walter Plaikner decided not to include him on the squad, and Huber retired at the end of the season. His outstanding success was the gold medal win in doubles with Brugger at Lillehammer in1994, beating another Italian couple with his brother Norbert Hubert, and Hansjörg Raffl. In the same Olympics his brother Günther Huber won the bronze medal in the two-man bobsleigh and only the fourth brother Arnold Huber narrowly missed a medal, placing fourth in singles. At the World Championships Wilfried Huber won seven medals, two silver and five bronze, winning medals in all events (single, double and team). He also won one silver and bronze medal at the 1988 Junior World Championships. He won six medals at the European Championships – one gold, three silver and two bronze medals. After retiring from racing, Huber joined the coaching staff of the Italian national luge team. In 1995 he was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit of the Army.