Erich Schärer

Although he began his career as a track and field athlete, Erich Schärer eventually found his greatest sporting love in bobsledding. His first major success came at the 1971 World Championships, where he won the four-man alongside Max Forster, René Stadler, and the non-Olympian Peter Schärer. With Werner Camichel replacing Forster, the quartet came in third at the 1973 European Championships, but defended their crown at that year’s World Championships.

Sepp Benz then took Stadler’s spot and the foursome captured the 1975 World Championships and came in third at the 1976 European Championships. Erich and Peter Schärer, meanwhile, took gold in the two-man at that year’s European Championships. Erich and Benz also attended the 1976 Winter Olympics, where they earned a bronze medal in the two-man and, with Ueli Bächli and Ruedi Marti, silver in the four-man.

This new quartet took silver at the 1977 and 1978 World Championships and, with the non-Olympian Hansjörg Trachsel temporarily replacing Marti, bronze at the 1979 edition. Schärer, Bächli, Trachsel and the non-Olympian Max Rüegg also captured silver at the 1979 European Championships. In the two-man event, Schärer and Benz won the 1978 and 1979 World Championships, while Schärer and Bächli earned silver and bronze at the 1979 and 1980 European Championships respectively. Marti returned to the four-man team and helped them win the 1980 European Championships and take silver at that year’s Winter Olympics. Schärer and Benz, meanwhile, captured Olympic gold in the two-man.

Schärer continued his success over the next few years. At the 1981 World Championships he and Benz came in third in both the two- and four-man events, the latter with Max and non-Olympian Tony Rüegg. Schärer earned his final European Championship medal, gold, with Max Rüegg in 1982, and together they won the event at that year’s World Championships. With Tony and non-Olympian Franz Isenegger, the duo also captured bronze in the four-man.

Schärer won silver in the two-man with Max Rüegg at the 1983 World Championships, and his final major international medal came at the 1986 World Championships, where he won the four-man alongside Erwin Fassbind, Kurt Meier, and the non-Olympian André Kisser. He later became involved in sports administration and served as the Vice-President of Verbands Swiss Sliding.