Word: luge
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Dates: during 2010-2019
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...wall of the track, into an unpadded steel support column. His sled was traveling at 88 m.p.h. The ghastly replay of the accident was shown several times on Canadian national television. Viewers screamed when they saw the clip on one downtown Vancouver television screen. (See pictures of the tragic luge crash...
Worse, Kumaritashvili's death may have been preventable. Yes, luge is an inherently dangerous sport in which sliders can approach speeds reaching 90 m.p.h. The speed is part of its allure, and the rush of the event is what attracts audiences. However, throughout this week's training runs, athletes have voiced their concern about the safety of the Whistler track, which is the fastest in the world; last February, a German athlete was clocked traveling more than 95 m.p.h. during a luge World Cup test event. Over the past week, about a dozen athletes have crashed during luge training here...
...near-vertical drop at the start of the track and the steep curves at the top propel sliders at unprecedented speeds at the outset, making the later twists and turns even trickier to negotiate. "I think they are pushing it a little too much," Austrian luge athlete Hannah Campbell-Pegg told the Associated Press the day before Kumaritashvili's fatal accident. "To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we're crash-test dummies? I mean, this our lives...
...luge event is still scheduled to start late Saturday afternoon local time. After an investigation, Olympic officials concluded that athlete error, not a track deficiency, was ultimately responsible for the accident. Of course, that explanation won't assuage everyone. "This is a time for sorrow," Rogge said on Friday. "This is not a time to look for reasons...