Sunday, February 17, 2002
Puttin' pedal to a medal?
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
SALT LAKE CITY-- Pierre Lueders knows this is now not going to be Nagano.
But a medal with new pusher Giulio Zardo, who has only been in the sport for seven months, would be as good as gold. And after the first day of competition in the two-man bobsled, he's still got a shot at that.
"I don't think we'll win, but I think we can win something,'' he said.
"We're 17/100ths of a second behind,'' he said. "We've made that up in other races. I think we can still sneak into third.''
Lueders didn't guarantee gold.
But he did guarantee he'd set the track record for starts at the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games.
The Canada 1 pilot made good on his guarantee, issued upon his return to Edmonton from a gold and bronze in the final two World Cup races prior to the Olympics.
With Montrealer Zardo in his sled, the two set start records in Italy and France.
Yesterday they tied the start record of 4.80 seconds on the second run of the two-day four-run event which will conclude today.
AN OLD MAN'S SPORT
"Good for you. That's the way you've got to go,'' he enthused to Zardo the moment he got out of his sled.
"This is an old man's sport. For a 21-year-old with just seven months in the sport, he's doing great.
"I'm pretty pleased. There were a couple things wrong. I think if we can get just a little more out of the start, we'll do fine.
"We've got more for the start (today).
"It's perfect for us because we're in a position to attack. I like coming from behind.
PUSHES AND DRIVES
'`Two good pushes and two good drives and we'll see what it produces.''
Lueders was the first sled down the track in the first run.
And with a rookie aboard, it wasn't an easy trip.
"On the first one I think there was a little case of the nerves,'' said the 31-year-old who has already committed to stay through a fourth Olympics four years from now in Italy.
He raves about the pusher who was making only his fifth race run behind him in the two-man sled.
"It's one thing to do well at the World Cup,'' he said. "It's another to do well at the Olympics.''
Switzerland 1 with Christian Reich driving, leads Christoph Langen's Germany 1 by 1/100th of a second, or the equivalent of four inches on the mile and a half of the track they've traversed so far.
Martin Annen's Switzerland 2 is third, 0.15 of a second behind the leader with Lueders fourth 0.32 back.
American Todd Hays sits fifth 0.36 off the pace.
"We are going to battle (today),'' said Lueders. "This will be a fight to the hundredths of a second. Until the last race.''
2002 Games Bobsleigh Coverage
