Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Kiens, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy
About Walter Plaikner
- Walter Plaikner (born 24 October 1951 in Kiens, South Tyrol) is an Italian former luger and coach of Austrian descent who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- He was a doubles specialist, and competed alongside Paul Hildgartner.
- They won the gold medal in the men's doubles event (shared with the East German pairing of Horst Hörnlein and Reinhard Bredow) at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo.
- Plaikner also competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, where he finished 11th in the doubles after suffering from a severe bout of flu.
- He retired from competition after the Games.Plaikner won two medals in the men's doubles events at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1971 and a bronze in 1973.
- He and Hildgartner also won two gold medals in the men's doubles event at the FIL European Luge Championships (1971, 1974).After his retirement, Plaikner became a coach, working in Japan until 1998 and then in the United States to 2002.
- That year he was appointed as head coach of the Italian national luge team: he remained in this position until the end of April 2013, when he left the role after disputes about the quality of materials he produced for the construction of sleds.
- Later that year he became head coach of the Russian luge team with a focus on preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
- In 2016 he rejoined the coaching staff of the Italian team.
- In 2007, Plaikner was appointed Chairman of the Technical Commission for Artificial Track of the International Luge Federation (FIL).
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