Saba Kumaritashvili shook his head in frustration as he buckled through the finish line on Wednesday night after the second of two runs in the opening practice session at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre, the sparkling new venue nestled in the tree-lined southern foot of Xiaohaituo Mountain.
Even after barreling down the sharp turns of an icy track at frightening speeds exceeding 120kph, the Georgian luger came in dead last in his group among those who completed both attempts, each time finishing more than three seconds behind the pacesetter, Wolfgang Kindl of Austria. He could not hide his disappointment as he marched past a cluster of reporters in the mixed zone, paused for a beat to consider speaking, before hurrying off toward the dressing room to look toward Saturday, when the men’s singles competition begins in earnest.
But while the temporary sour of his first taste of sliding’s biggest stage will pass, Kumaritashvili’s participation at these Beijing Games is a triumph that embodies the resilience and courage at the foundation of the Olympics.
Twelve years ago in Vancouver, Kumaritashvili’s cousin was fatally injured after crashing in a training session just hours before the opening ceremony. Nodar Kumaritashvili was 21, same as Saba today, and one practice run away from his Olympic debut when he lost control on the insidious 13th turn at Whistler Sliding Centre, a course that had already prompted whispers among the competitors over safety concerns because of the breakneck speeds it was abetting.
Nodar’s sled was traveling at nearly 145kmh when it catapulted off the surface and over the sidewall near the finish line, propelling his 176lb form into an unprotected metal support pole by the end of the track.
He was pronounced dead less than an hour after he was airlifted to a Whistler hospital and resuscitation efforts failed, becoming the fourth athlete to die in preparations for a Winter Olympics after the British luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, the Australian skier Ross Milne and and the Swiss speed skier Nicolas Bochatay.
The first on-track fatality in 35 years rocked the sport to its foundation and generated worldwide media attention and sympathy. But the danger being laid bare did nothing to dissuade Saba from following the family trade.
The fastest of Winter Olympics events simply runs in the blood. Saba’s great grandfather, Aleko, marshalled the construction of Georgia’s first luge training track in the early 1970s, and then a more complete track a few years later. Aleko then served as head coach of the national team. Saba’s grandfather Felix and uncle David were both highly decorated lugers when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. His father is only the latest in a line of family members to preside over the national luge federation.
Nodar would have become the first of this proud lineage to officially compete in an Olympic Games had he made it through that fifth and final practice run in Canada. Now it will be Saba, who has climbed to No 47 in the world rankings since making his debut at last year’s Nations Cup in Sigulda and has arrived in China as the lone athlete from a sliding sport on Georgia’s nine-person delegation.
“Every generation of our family had at least one luge sportsman, and now my father and I are continuing this tradition and following Nodar’s footsteps,” he told the Associated Press after qualifying for the Beijing field. “Thinking about him is painful but gives me strength as well.”
He added: “I think every sportsman’s goal and dream is to be competing in the Olympic Games, so two years ago I decided to achieve this goal. And here I am.”
