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]

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]

References

External links

• Robert Pipkins at Olympedia