Skeleton, bobsleigh and luge: Anglos sliding into Vancouver contention
Paris (AFP) – Anglo influence is on the increase in Olympic sliding events after decades of domination by the German-speaking nations.
That domination largely continues in luge and bobsleigh – but in skeleton the Americans, Canadians and the British are making a name for themselves as they hurl themselves down icy, twisting, banked tracks in gravity-powered sleds.
If, at least for the women, skeleton is the new kid on the block it actually made its Olympic debut far earlier, in 1928.
Two years earlier the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had officially declared skeleton as an Olympic sport and Jennison Heaton promptly gave the United States gold.
Four-man bobsleigh appeared in the first Winter Games in 1924 (five-men in 1928) and the two-man variant followed in 1932, though the events were not included in 1960, while luge came in at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck.
Women made their Olympic skeleton entrance in pairs in 2002 at the Salt Lake Games, US star Tristan Gale landing gold before Swiss Maya Pedersen succeeded her four years later.
Taking silver in 2006 was Briton Shelley Rudman, who is now one of two Britons ranked in the world top ten ahead of fifth-placed Amy Williams, another regular top ten World Cup finisher.
Rudman ousted top-ranked Mellisa Hollingworth in the World Cup race at St Moritz last week to show her form with Williams fourth.
“This season has all been about improving every performance to peak ready for the Olympics and things are going well,” said Rudman.
Returning to the US men’s skeleton line-up after missing out in 2006 after testing positive for banned substance finasteride, a medication used to treat hair loss, is 2007 world champion Zach Lund.
US bobsleigh hopes are high in the shape of Steven Holcomb and John Napier, the world’s top-ranked four-man drivers.
Holcomb and his push team of Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz will drive the USA I sled in Vancouver with Napier, Chuck Berkeley, Chris Fogt and Steve Langton in USA II.
Two-man lineups include Holcomb and Tomasevicz, Napier and Langton with Kohn’s second yet to be decided.
The women’s lineup features three pairs, Shauna Rohbock and Michelle Rzepka, Erin Pac and Elana Meyers and Bree Schaaf and Emily Azevedo.
Elsewhere, reigning two-and four-man bob champion Andre Lange of Germany is clearly one to watch as he bids for a hat-trick in the latter category.
In luge, look no further for now than Italian Armin “il cannibale” Zoeggeler, going for a third straight gold, though Russian World Cup challenger Albert Demtschenko and German world champ Felix Loch will run him close.
Among the “Doppelsitzer” (luge pairs) German World Cup leaders Andre Florschutz and Torsten Wustlich are hoping that glory beckons.
