- Curve 9 on the Olympic luge track has become a nightmare for luge athletes.
- The curve is steep and demanding and has already produced two scary crashes.
- Athletes say they don't think it's dangerous, but that handling the curve correctly will be the difference in medals.
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The intense turn that created a scary luge crash has become the most feared section of the Olympics
Curve 9 on the luge track is creating crashes and making or breaking athletes' Olympic dreams.
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On Tuesday at the Winter Olympics, American luge athlete Emily Sweeney got into a scary-looking crash that she was lucky to walk away from.
While flying down the luge track at 70 miles per hour, Sweeney's sled wobbled out of control, eventually turning her sideways. She fell off the sled, then slid down the track, landing in a heap.
It appeared that prior to crash, Sweeney was bracing for Curve 9 before things spiraled downward.
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Curve 9 (or Turn 9) of the luge track has become folklore at the games. About halfway down the track, the ninth turn of 16, it's steep and requires tactical maneuvering that athletes were already preparing for before the games. According to NBC Olympics, the curve is a 45-degree turn that turns athletes to the right before making them adjust to the left coming out of it.
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