>>151792079
Yes, that sounds like the tragic accident involving Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old Georgian luge slider, during a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
On February 12, 2010, while approaching the track's final curve (Turn 16) at around 90 mph (145 km/h), Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled. It struck the inside wall, causing him to be thrown from the sled, over the ice-covered concrete barrier on the left side of the track, and directly into an unpadded steel support column (often described as a concrete pillar or metal post). He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after.
The incident led to immediate scrutiny of the track's design, which was the fastest in the world at the time, with speeds exceeding previous records. Officials from the International Luge Federation (FIL) and the Olympics organizing committee initially attributed it to "driving errors" by Kumaritashvili, who had limited experience on such high-speed courses (only about 25 practice runs compared to hundreds for more seasoned sliders). However, subsequent investigations, including a 2010 coroner's report, highlighted contributing factors like the track's extreme technical difficulty, high gravitational forces in the curve, and insufficient padding on the barriers—issues that had been raised in prior warnings from other athletes. No criminal charges were filed, but it prompted safety modifications, such as adding extra padding, raising the track walls in that section, and adjusting the men's start position to reduce speeds. The luge events proceeded as a tribute to Kumaritashvili, with his death marking the first Olympic athlete fatality in training since 1964.
This remains one of the most haunting moments in Winter Olympic history, underscoring the razor-thin margin for error in luge. If this isn't the incident you had in mind or if you recall more details, let me know!