Austria’s Manuel Pfister clocked the fastest speed ever recorded by a luger at Whistler’s Sliding Centre on Thursday, prompting fears that sliders have now reached the absolute limit of what is safe.
Austria’s Manuel Pfister clocked the fastest speed ever recorded by a luger at Whistler’s Sliding Centre on Thursday, prompting fears that sliders have now reached the absolute limit of what is safe.
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Pfister peaked at 154kmh during training for the weekend's men's luge competition — his ice-scorching run eclipsing the 153.98kmh achieved by Germany’s world champion Felix Loch at the same venue in a World Cup race last February.
Loch’s record still stands because his run was in competition. Pfister's brother Daniel said there was no reason to think speeds will not go even higher than 155kmh at the weekend. "I think we're going to really get 156 or 157kmh, we're getting closer and closer (to 100 mph)," he said. Much of the talk leading up to the Olympic sliding events has been about the speed of the track and the G-forces on some of the 16 corners.
Pfister's brother Daniel said there was no reason to think speeds will not go even higher than 155kmh at the weekend.
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