Georg Zipfel

Georg Zipfel was one of the few West German cross-country skiers to reach world class level. At the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, he finished seventh in the 15 km, 14th in the 30 km, and 23rd over 50 km. With the West German 4x10 km relay team, he finished ninth. Zipfel burst onto the scene in 1972, when he won a gold and silver medal at the Youth European Chmpionships. The following year, he was named the best young cross-country skier in the world. He went on to win 18 West German national titles (five individual and 13 relay titles with his home club, SV Kirchzarten). Zipfel’s brother Peter, was also a world class cross- country skier.

In 1983, Georg Zipfel graduated as a sports coach, and was employed by the German Skiing Association as a coach in various positions over the years. During the preparations for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, Zipfel was national coach. However, he was confronted with accusations made by Johann Mühlegg, who claimed Zipfel would poison him. Mühlegg was then suspended from the 1995 World Championship team, and Zipfel was released as the national coach. Nevertheless, he stayed on the coaching team, and later became a sports administrator with the Association.