Vera Zozulya (born January 15, 1956) is a Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

n-born Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 luge

Luge

A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...

r who competed during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1980 Winter Olympics

1980 Winter Olympics

The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...

 in Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....

. As of the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

, she is the only non-German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 speaking winner of any Winter Olympic luge event.

Zozulya also won a complete set of medals in the women's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1978

FIL World Luge Championships 1978

-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...

, a silver in 1977

FIL World Luge Championships 1977

-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...

, and a bronze in 1981

FIL World Luge Championships 1981

The FIL World Luge Championships 1981 took place in Hammarstrand, Sweden for the third time. Hammarstrand had hosted the event previously in 1967 and 1975...

.

At the FIL European Luge Championships, she won two medals in the women's singles event with a gold in 1976

FIL European Luge Championships 1976

The FIL European Luge Championships 1976 took place in Hammarstrand, Sweden for the second time after previously hosted the championships in 1970...

 and a bronze in 1978

FIL European Luge Championships 1978

The FIL European Luge Championships 1978 took place in Hammarstrand, Sweden for the third time after hosting the event previously in 1970 and 1976.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:...

. She won the overall women's singles Luge World Cup title in 1981-2.

Zozulya later became a coach for lugers in the Soviet Union, Latvia, and Poland. She was inducted into the International Luge Federation Hall of Fame in 2006.