Posted
He may have finished stone motherless last, but here's a ride that will still manage to impress you in the luge men's singles at the Winter Olympics.
Many luge riders came to grief in run one of the Pyeongchang Games' men's singles, as a crippling wind blew through the venue, but none more so than Andriy Mandziy of the Ukraine.
A nasty strafe alongside the barrier on the treacherous turn nine saw Mandziy bobble off his sled, sliding alongside his stomach as he began to drift from his luge.
Yet the Ukrainian had the presence of mind to grab hold of the luge with an outstretched palm, using his other hand to brake along the ice before coming to an upright sitting position — all while sliding along in one fluid motion, mind you.
Readjusting his helmet and slapping the ice in frustration, Mandziy hoisted himself back onto the sled with a huff, but completed his run in the true Olympic spirit.
The recovery was certainly the most impressive thing about the doomed sprint, as Mandziy finished dead last out of 40 racers.
The Ukrainian finished some 11 seconds behind the second-last luger, in a list topped by Austria's David Gleirscher — 15.283 seconds ahead of Mandziy.
Gleirscher clocked a time 0.022 seconds faster than German luge legend Felix Loch, on the hunt for a third straight Olympic gold medal in the event.
Mandziy wasn't the only luger to run into trouble, as Slovenia's Tilen Sirse also came loose from his sled only to recover excellently.
Sirse was separated from his ride around a steep bend as it continued hurtling down the track.
Somehow, Sirse held on to the careening ice hopper, skidding along the ice on his buttocks at breakneck speed.
Keeping his wits about him, Sirse kept his left leg hooked around the luge while sidling back into his seating.
He would finish a commendable 34th but, like Mandziy, sees any medal hopes dashed.
Topics: winter-olympics, sport, korea-republic-of