Heavy snowfall and a somber mood after the death of a Georgian luger didn't diminish the intensity of crowds that came in full force for the men's singles luge events this weekend.
Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death just before the opening ceremony Friday -- the first in 35 years for the International Luge Federation – cast a pall over the competition. But while sliders expressed concern heading into much-needed training runs, they also say they could use some support from fans and media.
"What I want people to know about the luge is that it's not that scary," said the 23-year-old American champion Erin Hamlin, who was the fastest over Saturday's two training runs.
"We're all paying our respects and we all know what happened. It's a small community, we lost a fellow athlete. But people need to realize that we're still here, we're still racing on this track and when they dwell on the tragedy and they keep showing the coverage, they're making it harder for us. People need to be positive."
IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the first runs of the men’s single event Saturday.
The men’s single competition, which finished Sunday, will be followed by the women, who compete Monday and Tuesday. The men’s doubles event comeslater in the week.
Officials shortened the track at the ultra-fast Whistler Sliding Centre for both the men and women’s events. The length of the track was reduced by 176 meters for the men's singles, and the number of curves reduced from 16 to 15. The original men's single track length was 1374 meters, and has been shortened by 176 meters.
All of the men sliders wore black tape on the left side of their helmets as a tribute to the young first-time Olympian. As a result of the Georgian sliders' death on corner 16, the ice was altered to direct competitors back onto the track and padding was placed around surrounding steel beams.
Australia's Hannah Campbell-Pegg voiced her regret that a death had to occur before the safety changes were made.
"The track is pushing the sport and I'm not the only one who is saying that, everyone is saying that," she said. "It's a shame that something like this had to happen in order for them to re-evaluate the safety issues. They had to (change the start) to make the best of a bad situation.
"They're trying to do the best they can and I think the track is doing a good job under tragic circumstance."
Written by Todd Lawson in Whistler.
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