First up for Taiwan in Olympic competition at the Winter Games will be the country's lugers.
Coach Sam Huang (
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHINESE TAIPEI OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
After the team's first practice runs they were six seconds behind the leaders.
The difference between gold and silver -- even, say, bronze and 10th place -- is usually not more than a fraction of a second.
"The luge team is having trouble at the Park City track ... the athletes are not familiar with the lines at this track and the times are really poor. They are six seconds behind the pace," Huang said.
Huang said Taiwan's two lugers had found the track to be difficult and very fast.
He said they were not doing very well because they were unfamiliar with the track, which was described by Germany's trainer Thomas Schwab as "brutally fast."
Huang said his main concern was that Taiwan's luge pair were "happy to be here" and "safe."
Lee Chia-Hsun (
He has been training in Lillehammer, Norway, and said he aims to become a physical education teacher.
Lin Chuei-pin (
He also made his debut in luge in Norway and said he wanted to finish the Olympics with a smooth finish from top to bottom.
Both luge riders are hoping to compete at the next Winter Games in Italy in 2006.
To a large extent this year's competition is seen as a prelude to a stiffer challenge in four years time.
The man to watch in the luge is Germany's George Hackl, who is preparing to become the first Winter Olympic athlete to win four consecutive medals in the same individual event.
Hackl has ruled the luge track for so long that a failure to win will leave his legion of supporters sorely disappointed.
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