Georgian luger dead after hitting pole in Olympic training run
Posted Feb 12, 2010 03:33:13 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili has died in a horrific Olympic training run accident.
An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the crash told The Associated Press that the 21-year-old slider died from his injuries.
The slider was coming around the final 270-degree turn, where speeds approach 140 km/h, when he flipped off his sled and was hurled into a pillar on the side of the track.
The official says the International Olympic Committee received confirmation of Kumaritashvili’s death.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because the luger’s family hadn’t been notified yet.
An official statement is to be released soon. The Whistler track is considered the fastest in the world. Some athletes have complained it’s too fast.
