Luger Adam Rosen aims high for Winter Olympics in Sochi
Luger Adam Rosen is preparing for his third Winter Olympics in Sochi in two years' time.
Last Updated: 14/11/12 9:02am
Great Britain luger Adam Rosen is currently preparing for his third Winter Olympics in Sochi in two years' time. He is driven by the belief that he can beat the 16th place finish he achieved during a tumultuous, tragic campaign in Vancouver back in 2010.
It was in Canada that Rosen's sport hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, as Georgian slider Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training crash one day before the opening ceremony, bringing the dangers of luge into sharp focus.
However, Rosen, who had dislocated his hip in a crash on the same incredibly-fast track just six months prior to the Games, along with his fellow competitors, got back on his sled and claimed a credible finish in an inevitably subdued event.
Kumaritashvili's death prompted precious few to hang up their helmets, emphasising the passion for their sport within the close-knit luge community.
Levan Gureshidze, Kumaritashvili's former team-mate, was present with Rosen at a pre-season training camp in Sochi this week.
Rosen added: "It really was a freak accident.
"The bottom line is if the sport really was as dangerous as some people say, none of us would be doing it. There is definitely a thrill-seeking element, but I don't have a death wish or anything like that.
"I like to say it's a calculated risk. I believe in my ability to make it down the track and if it was getting to the point where I didn't, I would stop. For the most part, in terms of the way the sport might have changed, it hasn't really affected us."
Belief
Rosen now remains fully focused on an improved season in the World Cup, starting in Innsbruck later this month, and ultimately concluding in an Olympic-best performance at what could be his final Games in the Russian city.
The luger, a qualified pilot in the US, who switched to represent the UK in 2006 due to his English mother, continued: "The one thing that is really driving me towards Sochi is the belief that I can really do well at these Olympics.
"I'm really trying to push ahead and see what I can do with the proper training equipment. It does get very tough and if I didn't have this belief it would be easy to give up. But I have made too many sacrifices to do that now.
"I dislocated my hip and tore four ligaments in October prior to Vancouver, and the doctor said I'd be lucky to be walking again by the time the Olympics came round, so although I didn't do as well as I hoped, to actually be there competing was an achievement.
"For Sochi, I'm hoping that everything will be in place to give me the best possible opportunity to succeed. I don't think I would be happy with myself four years down the line if I didn't give it my all. I do not want to leave this sport with any regrets."
