Nearly 12 years in the past to the day, Saba Kumaritashvili’s cousin died in a luge crash sooner than the beginning of the 2010 Vancouver Iciness Video games.
Nodar Kumaritashvili misplaced keep an eye on of his sled all the way through a coaching run simply hours sooner than the 2010 Iciness Video games’ opening rite.
Saba says he thinks about Nodar always, including that his cousin’s loss of life equipped further motivation to take part within the Iciness Olympics.
“I wasn’t afraid. I sought after to be within the Olympics to race,” mentioned Saba. “Everybody in my circle of relatives is in luge. After Nodar, I didn’t need luge to die in Georgia. I sought after to stay it going.”
Kumaritashvili finished his first two runs in males’s singles on the Nationwide Sliding Centre on Saturday, forward of the general two runs to return on Sunday, regardless that he is not a medal contender.
The person who received gold within the males’s singles on the 2010 Vancouver Video games, Felix Loch, paid tribute to Nodar on the time, melting his medal into two disks, then etched the Georgian’s portrait and the years of his start and loss of life on one sooner than presenting it to the Kumaritashvili circle of relatives.
Chasing what can be his 3rd gold medal within the males’s singles tournament, Loch says he is “satisfied” Saba has made it to Beijing.
“It’s emotional. I walked there in Georgia and I felt in reality welcome there,” Loch mentioned. “I feel it used to be the proper factor to do, to head there. It takes numerous braveness for Saba to be right here. He likes the game, like his cousin. It’s super to peer him sliding for the entire luge circle of relatives.
“It’s a really perfect signal for the game. It displays you what game can do.”
The Kumaritashvili circle of relatives has been a driver for the game of luge because the Seventies. Saba’s great-grandfather Aleko helped construct Georgia’s first luge monitor, additionally serving as the rustic’s trainer and working the nationwide luge federation.
“My oldsters didn’t object to me going into luge. I feel they sought after it greater than me,” Saba mentioned with a grin.
“Nodar is without doubt one of the causes I’m in luge. Now we have 10 years’ age distinction, so I don’t bear in mind a lot of him, simplest moments.”
