Peter Utzschneider
Peter Utzschneider (born 1946) is a retired West German bobsledder who competed as brakeman, most successfully alongside pilot Wolfgang Zimmerer, winning Olympic gold in the two-man event at the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo.1 He competed at three Winter Olympics (1968, 1972, and 1976) and won three Olympic medals: one gold and two bronze.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 in Murnau am Staffelsee, Bayern (Bavaria), Germany1 |
| Role | Brakeman (pusher and brakeman) in two-man and four-man bobsleigh, for the club SV Ohlstadt1 |
| Olympic medals | Gold, two-man, Sapporo 1972; bronze, four-man, Sapporo 1972; bronze, four-man, Innsbruck 19761 |
| World Championships | Nine medals, four of them gold: four-man 1969 and 1973, two-man 1973 and 19741 |
| European Championships | Ten podium finishes with five titles: two-man 1968, 1972, and 1973; four-man 1970 and 19731 |
| Measurements | 182 cm, 87 kg1 |
Partnership with Wolfgang Zimmerer
Utzschneider's career was built on a single, long partnership. As the brakeman for pilot Wolfgang Zimmerer, he formed the braking half of the crew that dominated international bobsleigh in the early 1970s, and all of his major titles were won braking for Zimmerer.1 Both were products of the Bavarian club scene: Utzschneider competed for SV Ohlstadt, the same Ohlstadt sports club that produced Zimmerer, and his national coach was Franz Schelle.1
The pair first appeared together at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, where they finished seventh in the two-man and ninth in the four-man in the West Germany 2 sled.1 Their breakthrough at championship level came the following year, when Zimmerer's four-man crew, with Utzschneider braking, won the 1969 world title at Lake Placid.1
Olympic career
Sapporo 1972. The two-man competition at Sapporo was held on the Mount Teine course over four runs, and Zimmerer and Utzschneider won it decisively. They led after every run and finished in a total time of 4:57.07, ahead of their West German teammates Horst Floth and Pepi Bader on 4:58.84, so the two-man podium was an all-West-German one-two.2 Weeks earlier, the same two German crews had dominated the European Championship at St. Moritz, with Zimmerer and Utzschneider narrowly defeating Floth and Bader for that gold medal as well.2 In the four-man at Sapporo, the West Germany 1 sled took bronze.1
Innsbruck 1976. At his third Games, Utzschneider again competed in the four-man and won a second Olympic bronze with the West Germany 1 sled.1
World and European titles
Utzschneider won nine medals at the FIBT World Championships: four gold, three silver, and two bronze. The golds came in the four-man at Lake Placid in 1969 and Lake Placid in 1973, and in the two-man at Lake Placid in 1973 and St. Moritz in 1974; in 1974 he won both classes at St. Moritz.1 His silvers were in both classes at St. Moritz in 1970 and in the four-man at Cervinia in 1975, with a four-man bronze at Cervinia in 1971 completing the set.1
At the European Championships he and Zimmerer reached the podium ten times, winning five titles: the two-man in 1968, 1972, and 1973, and the four-man in 1970 and 1973.1
Honors
In later life he remained associated with the sport; he appeared alongside his former pilot at the bobsleigh world championship in Innsbruck in a meeting with Prince Albert II of Monaco, himself a former Olympic bobsledder.3
References
- Peter Utzschneider, Olympedia
- Bobsleigh Two, Men, Sapporo 1972, Olympedia
- Boblegende Wolfgang Zimmerer trifft Fürst Albert II. von Monaco, Merkur (2016)
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Winter and ice sports › Sliding sports › Bobsleigh › Bobsledders › Bobsleigh push and brakemen
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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