Markus Zimmermann

Brakeman Markus Zimmermann started his bobsled career with Rudi Lochner winning a totally surprising bronze medal at the 1989 European Championships, although they had not yet been on the German A-Team. They also earned a 1990 German Championship (runner-up one year earlier), a 1992 World Championship, and a silver medal at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. Two years later they placed fourth at Lillehammer.

After Lochner’s retirement he changed to pilot Christoph Langen’s sled, catching two gold medals in the 1998 Olympic four-man and at the 2002 Winter Olympics in the two-man event, also adding a bronze in the 1998 two-man. At the World Championships they won gold medals in the two-man in 1996 and 2000, two silver medals in 1999 and 2004, two gold medals in the four-man in 1996 and 2001, and two silvers in 1997 and 2000.

Their collection was completed by a European Championship in the two-man in 2001, a bronze one year earlier, and two titles in the 1996 and 1999 four-man, adding two bronzes in 1998 and 2004. In 1996, 1998 and 2004 they won the two-man World Cup and in 1999 added the four-man World Cup. Domestically they won five titles. After the season 2003-04 Zimmermann retired, and he then worked as a construction engineer.