Top

Luger Came to Olympics with ‘Hopes and Dreams’ | USsPost.com

February 13, 2010 by · Comments Off on Luger Came to Olympics with ‘Hopes and Dreams’ | USsPost.com 

nodar-kumaritashviliLuger Came to Olympics with ‘Hopes and Dreams’ | USsPost.com:The sled racing sport in the family’s Kumaritashvili Nodar. His father, Selix, is president of the Republic of Georgia Luge Federation and his cousin is a coach with the national team that traveled to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics.

“He came to Canada with hopes and dreams, this would be a wonderful occasion of your life,” said the executive director of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, John Furlong, Kumaritashvili calling “a very lively girl, she wanted to” feel what it is be called an Olympian. ”

On Friday, the 5-foot-10, 175-lbs. athlete, who was raised in the resolution of Georgia, where he was born, he threw off his sled on a curve and crashed against a post unfilled for a training run at the Whistler Sliding Center. It is believed to travel about 90 kilometers per hour. Attempts to revive him failed, and 21 years old, was pronounced dead.

An investigation
While other athletes have raised questions about the safety of the runway, an investigation by the authorities blamed the crash on pilot error, according to the Coroners Service of British, Canadian Mounted Police and the International Luge Federation.

“It seems that after a routine race, the athlete was late out of turn 15 and do not adequately compensate (a) the correct entry in Turn 16,” the statement said. “This resulted in a late entry into turn 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem, which eventually lost control of the sled which results in the tragic accident.”

Teammates were hit by the news and just hours later marched solemnly into the opening ceremony carrying a black armband. The crowd of 60,000 greeted the seven Georgians with a standing ovation. The flag bearer for the Georgia team, Iason Abramashvili alpine skier, 21, was raised in the same region as Kumaritashvili. The team, despite the tragedy, the Olympics will compete.

“We all shed a tear,” said figure skating coach in America, Robin Wagner, who is coaching the Georgian skater Elene Gedevanishivili. “We share an emotional bond and this has been painful,” she tells PEOPLE.

Kumaritashvili ranked 44th in the world and participated in five of the eight events of the World Cup this season, according to press reports. His top finish this season was 28 in the final race of the World Cup season in Italy.

On Wednesday, which could not finish his second training run, but completed four other races during the week, according to reports. Kumaritashvili Authorities said there were 26 races on the track, a great number.

Georgian Minister of culture and sport, Nikolos Ruru, rejected claims that Kumaritashvili was too inexperienced to run on the fast track in Whistler regulators have come to 95 mph during practice this week.

“Overture (and) the speculation about his experience to me it seems a bit unfair and misleading,” said U.S. Ruru Today.

Racing resumed training on Saturday and the first medal event of the luge is expected to go on scheduled for Sunday.

Bottom