Robert Pipkins

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Robert Pipkins
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1973-02-23) February 23, 1973 (age 51)
Buffalo, New York, United States
Sport
Sport Luge

Robert Pipkins (born February 23, 1973) is an American former luger. [1] He competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics. [2] He was the first African-American to represent the United States in the luge at an international level. [3]

Contents

Biography

Pipkins was born in Buffalo, New York in 1973, and attended Drexel University in Philadelphia. [1] He took up luge in 1987, after his mother read about the sport and encouraged him to take part in the sport. [4] In 1992, Pipkins became the first American luger to win an international race, [5] when he finished first at the World Junior Championships. [1] He was on the US Luge Team from 1991 to 1998, [6] winning four back-to-back titles during that time. [1] [7]

At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Pipkins competed in the men's singles event, finishing in 21st place. [8] Two years later, at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, he competed in the same event, [9] this time finishing in 16th place. [10] He also tried to qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics. [11]

In 1993 in Oberhof, Germany, Pipkins was attacked by a group of neo-Nazi skinheads. [12] [13] Fellow luger Duncan Kennedy came to Pipkins rescue, [14] helping him to get away. [1] [15] Following the attack, the United States Olympic Committee declared that Germany was "dangerous". [1] The Mayor of Oberhof also sent an apology to Bill Clinton, with those involved handed prison sentences. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Robert Pipkins". Olympedia. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  2. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Robert Pipkins Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Robert Pipkins". Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Luge: Robert Pipkins". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ "How one Islander made it to Winter Olympics as a luger in 1990s". Staten Island Live. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Ex-Olympian Robert Pipkins: Lugers still feel safe despite Vancouver death". Staten Island Live. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Pipkins takes 4th national luge crown". Deseret News. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Singles, Men (1992)". Olympedia. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Pipkins Conquers the Unknown in Luge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Singles, Men (1994)". Olympedia. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Two-time Olympian Robert Pipkins raced". AP News. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Olympics: Attack on U.S. Lugers Has Racial Overtones". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Racial Hatred: A Comparative Analysis of the Hate Crime Laws of the United States and Germany". Penn State Law. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Luge Racer Retires". The Spokesman. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  15. ↑ "When it comes to luge, many Americans consider in an Olympic-only event. The current US luge team could change that perception". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
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