Services held for Georgian luger

A nation that had hoped to watch one of its most promising young athletes compete in the Olympics gathered instead yesterday to mourn him, more than a week after the luger was thrown to his death in a practice run at the Vancouver Games.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died after slamming into a steel pole on the luge course hours before the opening ceremony. He lost control of his sled during a training run, shot off course, and slammed into a trackside steel pole at nearly 90 m.p.h.

Thousands of mourners flocked Saturday to the yard of his family's two-story brick home in Bakuriani, Georgia, for a traditional funeral feast. Inside, the body lay in a coffin, surrounded by Orthodox Christian icons and burning candles. A small choir sang Georgian chants and a portrait of the athlete hung on the wall.

In Whistler, British Columbia, the bobsledders all agree: The Olympic track is fast - the fastest there is and likely ever will be.

The most outspoken pilot has been Shauna Rohbock, the 2006 silver medalist who called the Whistler Sliding Center "stupid fast."

The federation that runs bobsled says its goal was for all pilots to have at least 40 runs before they compete. Many have, but some have had fewer than half that.

Takahashi stays with skating. The bronze medal hanging from his neck was all the confirmation Daisuke Takahashi needed to know he should continue competing.

Takahashi had said before the Vancouver Olympics that this would be his last games, but on Friday Japan's first men's figure-skating medalist expressed his desire to continue his career.

"I'm not fully satisfied with my performance this time and have some regrets," Takahashi said at a joint news conference for Japan's three medalists in Vancouver.

Tuning in. An estimated 23.3 million people watched Friday night's Olympics telecast on NBC, continuing to top the pace of the 2006 Games.

Where are the Winter Games hottest? The Nielsen Co. says Denver, Milwaukee and Salt Lake City are the markets with the best ratings.