Margit Schumann

Margit Schumann

Personal information
Born	14 September 1952 Waltershausen, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany
Died	11 April 2017(2017-04-11) (aged 64) Oberhof
Medal record Women's Luge Representing  East Germany Olympic Games 1976 Innsbruck Women's singles 1972 Sapporo Women's singles World Championships 1973 Oberhof Women's singles 1974 Königssee Women's singles 1975 Hammarstrand Women's singles 1977 Igls Women's singles European Championships 1973 Königssee Women's singles 1974 Imst Women's singles 1975 Olang Women's singles 1977 Königssee Women's singles 1979 Oberhof Women's singles

Margit Schumann (14 September 1952 – 11 April 2017) was an East German luger who competed during the 1970s and early 1980s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles event with a gold in 1976 and a bronze in 1972.

Schumann also won four consecutive gold medals at the FIL World Luge Championships (1973–75, 1977). Her number of championships would not be matched until Sylke Otto (also German) won it in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005.

At the FIL European Luge Championships, Schumann won five medals with three golds (1973–1975), one silver (1977), and one bronze (1979).

A sixth place at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid concluded her career as a competitor, and she moved on to study Sports Sciences at the Academy for Physical Culture in Leipzig, in order to become a specialist trainer in sports sledding. She then began work at Oberhof coaching juniors before she became an East German team selector. After this she took a civilian job with the army. Following reunification in 1990 she took a position as a Personnel specialist with the military Sports Promotion group at Oberhof. Later the Military commissariat posted her to their Psychological Section at Zella-Mehlis.

In 2004, Schumann was among the first three inductees into the International Luge Federation (FIL) Hall of Fame, along with Klaus Bonsack and Paul Hildgartner.

Schumann died on 11 April 2017 in Oberhof at the age of 64. ^[1]