Olympics Blog
DISPATCHES FROM VANCOUVER
AND THE 2010 OLYMPICS
[UPDATED, 12:16 p.m.: The Associated Press is reporting that Nodar Kumaritashvili has died from his injuries]
A men's luge competitor from the former Soviet republic of Georgia was seriously injured during a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Friday.
Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, appeared to have hit his head on a metal pole after losing control and going over the track wall. It's estimated he was traveling around 90 mph before losing control.
Rescuers were seen performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Kumaritashvili before he was lifted into an ambulance. Luge officials did not immediately give an update on his condition.
There have been concerns raised over the safety of the Whistler track, which has been described by some Olympic officials as the fastest in the world. More than a dozen athletes have crashed on the track.
Italy's Armin Zoeggeler, a favorite to win the gold medal, lost control on one of the course's curves and crashed earlier Friday, but walked away.
We'll have more on this soon at latimes.com/sports
-- Austin Knoblauch
Photo: An Olympic medical staff assists Nodar Kumaritashvili following his crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Friday. Credit: Peter Parks / AFP/Getty Images
Los Angeles Times
