Robert Pipkins (born February 23, 1973) is an American former luger.^[1] He competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics.^[2] He was the first African-American to represent the United States in the luge at an international level.^[3]

Pipkins was born in Buffalo, New York in 1973, and attended Drexel University in Philadelphia.^[1] He took up luge in 1987, after his mother read about the sport and encouraged him to take part in the sport.^[4] In 1992, Pipkins became the first American luger to win an international race,^[5] when he finished first at the World Junior Championships.^[1] He was on the US Luge Team from 1991 to 1998,^[6] winning four back-to-back titles during that time.^[1][7]

At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Pipkins competed in the men's singles event, finishing in 21st place.^[8] Two years later, at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, he competed in the same event,^[9] this time finishing in 16th place.^[10] He also tried to qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics.^[11]

In 1993 in Oberhof, Germany, Pipkins was attacked by a group of neo-Nazi skinheads.^[12][13] Fellow luger Duncan Kennedy came to Pipkins rescue,^[14] helping him to get away.^[1][15] Following the attack, the United States Olympic Committee declared that Germany was "dangerous".^[1] The Mayor of Oberhof also sent an apology to Bill Clinton, with those involved handed prison sentences.^[1]