WHISTLER, B.C. - Nodar Kumaritashvili celebrated his 21st birthday only three months ago. They say he was here to fulfil a dream.
Instead, he died.
The young luger from Georgia was ranked 41st in the World Cup standings at the beginning of 2010. And, despite the concerns of some Olympic competitors that the track here was too fast to be safe, Kumaritashvili did OK in early runs.
He'd finished 17th on the first run Wednesday, but crashed on the second run. Nothing serious. He walked away.
He went back to the track Thursday and finished 12th and 13th in the runs.
But something went wrong on Friday. On his first run, he finished 32nd. And, by now, everyone knows what happened on his second try.
His crash was gruesome. Sliding feet first, he flew from his sled and landed like a rag doll.
It's not known how fast he was going when he crashed, but the track's top recorded speed is 153.93 km/h.
His parents were told of his death by phone. They were called by both Georgian Olympic Committee officials and by the International Olympic Committee just hours before the Games' official opening.
It is impossible to know their reaction.
Even though their son competed in a dangerous sport that claimed the life of a previous Olympian 36 years ago, they must never have countenanced the possibility of it happening to their son. Who could?
The young man from Borjomi too young to have left many traces even in this electronic world. Until today, there was no word of him on the Internet. There's no Facebook page. No self-congratulatory personal website outlining what he'd accomplished.
Even though the Georgian Olympic team has only eight members, Kumaritashvili was not the best known of the athletes.
At a news conference, IOC president Jacques Rogge said Kumaritashvili ``lost his life pursuing his passion.''
Vanoc president John Furlong said members of the International Luge Federation said Kumaritashvili ``was an incredibly spirited young person and he came here to be able to feel what it's like to be able to call himself an Olympian . . . We are heartbroken beyond words.''
But it's impossible to be consoled by that bromide that he died doing what he loved.
It's hard to not to grieve that Nodar Kumaritashvili died far too young, so needlessly.
As A.E. Housman so eloquently wrote in his ode ``To an Athlete Dying Young''
``Smart lad to slip betimes away/From fields where glory does not stay,/And early though the laurel grows/It withers quicker than the rose."
Instead, he died.
The young luger from Georgia was ranked 41st in the World Cup standings at the beginning of 2010. And, despite the concerns of some Olympic competitors that the track here was too fast to be safe, Kumaritashvili did OK in early runs.
He'd finished 17th on the first run Wednesday, but crashed on the second run. Nothing serious. He walked away.
He went back to the track Thursday and finished 12th and 13th in the runs.
But something went wrong on Friday. On his first run, he finished 32nd. And, by now, everyone knows what happened on his second try.
His crash was gruesome. Sliding feet first, he flew from his sled and landed like a rag doll.
It's not known how fast he was going when he crashed, but the track's top recorded speed is 153.93 km/h.
His parents were told of his death by phone. They were called by both Georgian Olympic Committee officials and by the International Olympic Committee just hours before the Games' official opening.
It is impossible to know their reaction.
Even though their son competed in a dangerous sport that claimed the life of a previous Olympian 36 years ago, they must never have countenanced the possibility of it happening to their son. Who could?
The young man from Borjomi too young to have left many traces even in this electronic world. Until today, there was no word of him on the Internet. There's no Facebook page. No self-congratulatory personal website outlining what he'd accomplished.
Even though the Georgian Olympic team has only eight members, Kumaritashvili was not the best known of the athletes.
At a news conference, IOC president Jacques Rogge said Kumaritashvili ``lost his life pursuing his passion.''
Vanoc president John Furlong said members of the International Luge Federation said Kumaritashvili ``was an incredibly spirited young person and he came here to be able to feel what it's like to be able to call himself an Olympian . . . We are heartbroken beyond words.''
But it's impossible to be consoled by that bromide that he died doing what he loved.
It's hard to not to grieve that Nodar Kumaritashvili died far too young, so needlessly.
As A.E. Housman so eloquently wrote in his ode ``To an Athlete Dying Young''
``Smart lad to slip betimes away/From fields where glory does not stay,/And early though the laurel grows/It withers quicker than the rose."
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