Fat Chance for a Gold Medal? Not With Suckow on the Sled

Akebono, the grand champion of sumo wrestling in Japan and a featured participant in Saturday’s opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, did not also materialize Sunday on a luge during the first two runs of men’s singles.

At more than 500 pounds, Akebono would have required a fleet of the narrow sleds--an improbable but intriguing thought, since many believe weight could be a significant factor in both men’s and women’s competition on the refrigerated track known as the Spiral, which weaves with environmental care through the oaks and broad-leaf beech about 3,330 feet above Nagano.

The Spiral is different from any other luge-bobsled course because of its two uphill sections, the second a 14% grade through Turn 12 of the 15-turn layout.

The theory is that heavier sledders can develop more momentum on the downhill sections to carry them through the uphill portions.

“It kind of favors heavy people, which is why I’ve been eating as much as I can,” said a smiling Cammy Myler, the slight U.S. veteran.

“I’m sure some people thought about it a year ago and said, ‘I’m going to add 10 or 15 pounds,’ but it’s kind of difficult to do now. It’s either happened or it hasn’t. Carbo loading isn’t going to work now.”

Said Bonny Warner, a former U.S. luger who is on hiatus as an airline pilot while serving here as a CBS analyst:

“If you add 10 pounds of muscle it might help, but add 10 pounds of fat and you’re not going to fit on the sled. This is a sport for truly fit athletes, not fat people.”

How athletic is it to lie essentially motionless for 50 seconds or so? Then again, to do it while controlling a small sled hurtling at more than 90 mph down an icy trough requires considerable finesse and courage.

Wendel Suckow of the United States, the 1993 world champion, won a pre-Olympic World Cup on the Spiral last February, earning the nickname here of “Bullet Man.”

With Duncan Kennedy forced to retire because of a neurological problem, Suckow, who is retiring after the four runs of these Olympics, is the leading U.S. hope to break European domination. He also might be the heaviest of the male sliders at 222 pounds, even after having lost 20 pounds during the past year.

Suckow insists that he has only 3% body fat, but Calvin Klein isn’t calling.

“Maybe if Wendel wins the gold, Jennie Craig will call,” luge official Sandy Caligiore said.

Said Suckow: “What [speed] I may gain in weight, I lose twice that at the start, which is the area I’ve worked hardest to improve. I also think this is more of a driver’s track. Aerodynamics are important. Maintaining a line is important.

“Besides, there’s a compensation factor in luge. The lighter guys can use weights to bring their weight up.”

The cut-off is 195 pounds. Anyone under it can augment his four-pound clothing allowance by lining his body suit with small lead weights to reach 195.

Suckow, of course, would like to line his pocket with gold, though silver and bronze would be fine too.

All 81 Olympic luge medals have been won by Germany, Austria, Italy or athletes representing the former Soviet Union.

“I’ve always done well here, and I’m very confident,” Suckow said before Sunday’s first run. “I probably had over 100 mind runs during the Christmas break, just picturing in my mind and feeling myself on the sled going down the track.

“I didn’t want to repeat my Lillehammer mistake by thinking about anything else.”

Coming off his world championship of ‘93, Suckow got ahead of himself in Norway.

“I kept pondering what I was going to say on the victory platform after I won a medal,” he said.

Instead, he hit a wall on his first run, emerging 12th before rallying over the next three runs to finish fifth, the highest for the U.S. in luge singles.

On Sunday, amid often-heavy snow flurries, Suckow had a solid start, but the dominating George Hackl made light of the weight theory.

The 5-foot-9, 179-pound German, seeking his third consecutive Olympic title, clocked 49.619 seconds in the first run for a narrow lead over Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, Austria’s Markus Prock (second to Hackl in each of the last two Olympics) and Germany’s Genzs Mueller.

Suckow emerged in sixth place with a time of 50.069 seconds and clearly had his work cut out in Sunday’s second run.

A medal, of course, would be the ultimate way for Suckow, 30, to end a career born during a Boy Scout outing in his hometown of Marquette, Mich. It would also solve the question of a gift for his future bride. Suckow, who has a home-products distributorship and hopes to serve the luge movement as a coach, will be married in June.

“I always want to do well, but there’s no pressure here to do something special just because it’s my last race,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful time, but I’m ready for the next step in my life, ready to move on.

“I’ll be happy with whatever my finish is here.”

In other words, 222 is enough weight to carry. He doesn’t need pressure too.