VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died today after losing control of his sled on the last turn of a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
Kumaritashviliwent over the track wall and struck an unpadded metal pole. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said an investigation is underway, but would not comment on whether the accident will affect scheduling for the sliding events. The men's luge is scheduled to begin Saturday.
The sliding track for the Vancouver Games is considered to be one of the fastest in the world, and there were questions before the Games about whether athletes would have enough time to master it. Is it too fast?
Kumaritashvili was not considered a serious contender in the men's event, and he had crashed in a previous training run. His average speed on his practice runs was 88 mph, while the top speeds during practice have exceeded 95 mph.
U.S. bobsled driver Steven Holcomb has named curve 13 on the track "50/50," which he says is the odds of making the turn. "If you look at any track in the world, they all have curves that are a challenge. Now add over-95-mile-an-hour speed, and the exact same curve goes from 'tricky,' to 'I hope I get lucky.'"
Photo: The sled belonging to Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia is seen just after he crashed during a training run for the men's singles luge at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Friday.
Michael Sohn/AP
