Robert Pipkins

Robert Pipkins became the first American slider to win a major international race, winning the 1992 World Junior Championships. Pipkins was on the US Luge Team from 1991-98, winning four consecutive US Championships during that time. He attended Drexel University. Pipkins was also the first African-American luge racer at the international level.

Pipkins, an African-American, was attacked in Oberhof, Germany in December 1993 by right-wing youths. His teammate Duncan Kennedy, came to his defense and thrashed with them, helping take Pipkins to safety. The Security Committee of the United States Olympic Committee then proclaimed events in Germany generally as “dangerous.” This federal case was managed only by a personal apology from the Mayor of Oberhof to U.S. President Bill Clinton, and the youths were sentenced to drastic prison penalties.