Designer defends process of creating luge track

The designer of the crash-plagued Whistler Sliding Center track in British Columbia said there was never any pressure from Olympic organizers to make the circuit as fast as possible.

"No, not at all, in no shape or form," veteran track designer Ugo Gurgel said in a telephone interview yesterday with the Associated Press in Berlin.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed when his sled flew off the track at speeds nearing 90 mph during a training run just hours before the Olympic flame was lit. After an investigation by local authorities, officials of the Vancouver Organizing Committee and International Luge Federation blamed the fatal crash on human error.

Asked whether the course was too fast, Gurgel replied: "It is fast. As I have said before, if fast means dangerous, then yes."

Canada's Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have the lead midway through the women's competition at 1 minute, 46.20 seconds. Americans Erin Pac and Elana Meyers are 0.13 seconds behind in USA-2. USA-1 pilot Shauna Rohbock and USA-3's Bree Schaaf are tied for sixth.

Ashleigh McIvor persevered through a typical day of spills and thrills in skicross, made more hectic by a heavy snowstorm that hit halfway through the event, and helped Canada take its sixth gold medal. Hedda Berntsen, of Norway, came second, and Marion Josserand, of France, won bronze.

Lee Seung-hoon, of South Korea, won a stunning gold medal in the men's 10,000-meter event when overwhelming favorite Sven Kramer made an amateurish mistake, failing to switch lanes just past the midway point of the race, and was disqualified. The silver went Ivan Skobrev, of Russia, while defending Olympic champion Bob de Jong, of the Netherlands, won bronze (13:06.73).

China defeated the United States, 6-5, and now awaits a semifinal matchup tomorrow against Sweden. The Americans (2-6) had one more game, last night against Switzerland, but finished well out of medals hunt.

The Swedes won a shortened 10-6 victory over Japan and are the No. 2 seed for the semifinals. The Canadian women locked up the No. 1 seed with a 6-5 victory over Britain. The Canadians will play the Swiss in the other semifinal.

Russia defended its Olympic title in the women's relay. The French took the silver and Germany won bronze. *