VOA标准英语2010年-Death of Georgian Athlete Highlights D

USA Luge slider Tony Benshoof

The death of Georgian Olympic Luge slider Nodar Kumaritashvili while practicing at the Whistler Sliding Center north of Vancouver, Canada, highlights the dangers of the sport of Luge.  Such deadly incidents are a rare occurrence during an Olympic games, and underscore the importance of safety for all athletes in competition.  Kumaritashvilli's death could have far reaching implications for all Olympic events that utilize¹ an icy sliding course.

USA Luge slider Tony Benshoof likes to speed.  He gets a rush from hurling² his body down an icy sliding track on a small sled, sometimes traveling faster than 160 kilometers an hour.

 

"At those high speeds the position on the sled is crucial, but when you are going around some of those corners and hitting 5 G's, that's easier said than done," he said.

The final turn at the Whistler Sliding Center, site of the Luge competition for the 2010 Winter Olympics, proved deadly for Georgian slider Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21.  He suffered fatal injuries when he hit a metal beam after flying off the course during a practice run hours before the opening ceremonies.

The sport of Luge is the fastest sliding sport in Olympic competition.  Its debut³ at the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria, also was the first time a Luge slider died while practicing for Olympic competition.

Kumaritashvili's was the second - and is unacceptable, says Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

"No sports mistake is supposed to be fatal," said Saakashvili.

Saakashvili rejected suggestions the accident was a result of human error, but acknowledged Kumaritashvili might not have been as experienced as other athletes.

"This sport of Luge, as I found out, it is a matter of experience, and experience comes with years," he added.

In an interview in the months leading up to the Olympics, Benshoof explained how training for the Luge better prepares athletes for the Olympic competition.

"It takes a long time to get good at it.  Most of the veterans in the sport are in their 30s because it takes so many years to get good and be a world contender," said Benshoof.

The Whistler track re-opened for competition just one day after the death of the Georgian slider.  Even though some changes were made to ease athletes concerns, speculation⁴ continued about the overall safety of the course.

"We work very much with the international federations⁶, and ultimately what they ask for us to design and to create is what we design always, of course, with safety as the top priority," said Vancouver Organizing Committee spokesperson Renee Smith Valade

Smith added that the track was certified⁷ by both the International Luge Federation⁵ and the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation prior to the Olympic games.

"At the end of the process, after the track is finished there is something that happens called homologation, and homologation is the formal seal of approval of the track from the two sport federations who say this track is certified for competition and training. So it goes through a rigorous process of development from the design phase right through the testing," he explained.

Though too late to change the overall course design for the Vancouver Games, organizers for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia are using Kumaritashvilli's death as a lesson in design and safety.  The plan for the sliding track there still needs approval.

It is a track Tony Benshoof probably won't experience.  Because of his age, he says he plans to retire from Olympic competition after the Vancouver games, even though he failed to get a medal.
 

1 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

2 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 federations   

n.联邦( federation的名词复数 )；同盟；联盟；联合会

参考例句：

• These problems are women's special problems and special work of women's federations. 这样的问题，就是妇女的特殊问题，就是妇联的特殊工作。 来自互联网
• The Bridge Federate is a feasible solution to achieve multi-federations interconnection. 基于桥接成员实现多联邦互连是目前较为通用和可行的方法。 来自互联网

7 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。