Rosen unfazed by luge death
BRITISH luge slider Adam Rosen insists he has no intention of quitting the sport following the tragic death of Georgia’s Nodar Kumaritashvili.
Rosen nearly missed the Olympics after crashing during a training run at the controversial Whistler Sliding Centre track five months ago.
But he recovered from his injuries, which included a dislocated hip, in time to finish 16th in yesterday’s men’s singles.
“From what I have heard they won’t build a track as fast as this in the future,” said Rosen. “What happened was awful but I still enjoy the sport and I certainly won’t be quitting.
“I want to be in Sochi and with some additional funds, hopefully it will happen. A lot of the top sliders are in their late thirties so there’s still a long time for me to go.”
Rosen claimed he had no fears about returning to racing less than 24 hours after Kumaritashvili’s fatal accident. “What happened was a tragedy and it definitely brought back some bad memories for me but we are here to slide,” he added.
“To be honest four months ago I didn’t know if I was going to make the Olympics. After the accident I had no feeling in my leg for a long time but I came back a lot faster than a lot of doctors thought.
“It still hurts sometimes, not as bad as in the past, but I still notice it. I don’t think it helps my start, so I’m pleased with my result.”
l Meanwhile, Didier Defago produced a shock result to become Switzerland’s first men’s downhill gold medallist for 22 years.
Defago pipped Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal by just 0.07 seconds with America’s former world champion Bode Millar finishing in third.
Dario Cologna then completed a Swiss double by winning the men’s 15km cross country.
Lloyds TSB, proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB Vancouver. Visit LloydsTSB.com/London2012.
DAY FIVE | BRITS IN ACTION
5pm (GMT): Curling: Men’s – Great Britain v Sweden
6pm: Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-Combined, Downhill – Dave Ryding, Andy
Noble, Ed Drake
6pm – 8.40pm: Snowboarding: Women’s Snowboard Cross – Zoë Gillings
8.45pm: Biathlon: Men’s 12.5km Pursuit – Lee-Steve Jackson
9.30pm: Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-Combined, Slalom – Dave Ryding, Andy
Noble, Ed Drake