Olympic attention moved from Canada to the...

National Tragedy

The 21-year-old hurtled off the high-speed track and slammed into a metal pole at 140 km/h (90 mph) just hours before the start of the Games. He was taken to hospital with blood pouring from a head wound after trackside emergency treatment, but doctors were unable to save his life.

His funeral was attended by thousands of people, including the country"s president, Mikhail Saakashvili, and other politicians.

"This is a huge tragedy both for Nodar"s family and the entire nation," Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalanadze said.

"This is very hard to bear for tiny Georgia," the country"s first lady, Sandra Rulovz, commented.

It was earlier announced that a street and a luge track in Bakuriani, some 190 kms from the capital Tbilisi, would be named in the athlete"s honor.

U.S. lead medal table with 20

The U.S. are in first place in the overall medal count table, with six golds, eight silvers and eight bronzes. Favorites

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