Britain’s only luge rider will pay an emotional tribute to a fallen comrade before sliding down the Olympic ice run today.
Rupert Staudinger will set aside thoughts for himself ahead of his 80mph glory dash to remember AJ Rosen, who passed away from cancer in December.
"AJ was more than a friend for me," said the 24-year-old. "This Olympics will be for him.
"For these Games I have my helmet and the Rest In Peace AJ sign on it to keep his memories alive."
Staudinger, born in Bavaria to a Welsh mum, learned his trade from Rosen, a three-time Olympian. But for him he says he would not be here in Beijing.
"He was my tutor. We were super close," added the "He had such a big impact on my career. He was the best luger we had for sure."
Rosen’s sixth place at the 2009 World Cup in Calgary is Britain’s best ever luge result and Staudinger will shoulder British hopes alone this weekend.
He does so admitting that a sport which requires him to lie flat and slide feet-first round icy corners, whilst battling G-forces, has turned him into an adrenaline junkie.
"When I started I was frightened, always," said the Austrian-based Brit. "But I kept going and now I enjoy it so much.
"It needs courage to get into the track but once you have finished the run everything releases, the fright goes away, you are happy and you feel the adrenaline rush down your body.
"That said, in Pyeongchang at the last Olympics, where I finished 33rd, my set-up was too loose, I couldn’t steer how I wanted too. It was ride or die pretty much!
"But with that knowledge and experience I am going to perform definitely better this time."
