Faster Disaster Trivia Quiz

Answer: Luge

On February 12th, 2010, 21-year old Nodar David Kumaritashvili of Georgia suffered a fatal crash when he was thrown off his luge and over the sidewall of the track. His body hit an unpadded steel support pole. At the time he was traveling at 143.6 km/h (89.2mph). A year earlier at a test event on the Whistler track, a luger had attained a speed of 95.65mph. Nodar was an accomplished athlete and had started in the sport at just 13 years of age. Vancouver was set to be his Olympic debut.

Answer: Lolo Jones

Lolo Jones is one of the best ever 100m hurdlers and a two-time world indoor champion over the 60m hurdles distance (Valencia in 2008 and Doha in 2010). She also is a Gold medalist in the Mixed Bobsled event from the World Championships held in 2013 in St. Moritz.

Unfortunately, she is best remembered for the Olympic medals she missed. In 2008, leading the field, she clipped the second-to-last hurdle causing a catastrophic break of rhythm and a devastating 7th place finish. In London in 2012, Lolo again made the Olympic Final but could only manage a 4th place finish.

Interesting fact about Lolo Jones is that she weights 133 pounds in the Summer when competing in track and 160 pounds in the winter when competing in bobsled.

Answer: Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck, Austria has had the distinction of hosting the Winter Olympics twice in 1964 and 1976. Innsbruck is also remembered for the tragic deaths of two Olympic athletes who died during training runs. Ross Milne, from Australia, was entered in the downhill event. On a training run he lost control and experienced instant death after his head violently collided with a tree. Ross was just 19-years old.

His younger brother Malcolm, determined to honor his brother's memory, was an Australian Olympian in the same event in 1968 and 1972.

The second athlete to lose their life at the 1964 Innsbruck Games was Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, a Polish born luge racer who was competing for Great Britain. The former air-force pilot lost control of his sled on a training run less than a week before the Games were to begin.

Answer: Linford Christie

Linford Christie is a British sprinter and one of the all-time greats in the 100m dash. As reigning Olympic Champion, he suffered the ignoble humiliation of being disqualified from the 1996 Olympic Final in Atlanta. Christie is remembered for his refusal to accept the false start ruling which delayed the running of the final.

The race was finally won by Donovan Bailey of Canada. Linford Christie is one of the most decorated British athletes ever having won three European Gold medals in the 100m, three Commonwealth Games titles and the coveted World Championship gold medal in 1993.

Answer: Steven Bradbury, Australia

Steven Bradbury competed for Australia in four different Olympic Games. In Lillehammer 1994, Bradbury helped an Australian quartet make history when the relay team captured a bronze medal in the 5000m relay. Eight years later in Salt Lake City, Bradbury would win the 500m gold medal in dramatic circumstances.

In the prelims he beat a world champion in his best skate ever. In the semi-finals, two athletes hit the ice and despite being in last position he qualified for the final. In the final all four of his opponents crashed after a mass collision. Bradbury skated through as the last man standing to win gold.

Answer: Brazil

Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil was leading the 2004 Olympic marathon with around 4 miles to go. He had amassed a lead of almost 30 seconds and the gold medal was all but his. Out of the crowd emerged a defrocked Irish priest by the name of Cornelius Horan. Horan wrestled with de Lima until organizers arrived and pulled the man away. Vanderlei de Lima was subsequently caught by Stefano Baldini and Mebrahtom Keflezighi.

He held on to secure the bronze medal but the Brazilian filed an official protest that was not upheld.

At a later date, de Lima was presented with the Pierre de Courbetin medal for sportsmanship.

Answer: Jamaica

The Jamaican bobsled team has been immortalized in the film "Cool Runnings". In 1988 in Calgary, the Jamaicans borrowed sleds from other countries to compete in the four-man bobsled competition. The first team consisted of Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Devon Harris, Freddy Powell, and Chris Stokes. The team progressed quickly and got increasingly faster through their runs despite a crash. The Jamaican team also competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2014.

Answer: 3000m Steeplechase

Birhan Getahun was a 20-year old athlete from Ethiopia selected to represent his country at the London Olympic Games in the 3000m Steeplechase. Ethiopia has a rich distance running tradition, and Getahun himself was an All-African Champion in the Steeplechase event back in 2011.

Unfortunately, his tired legs could not make the required hurdle height for the very last barrier in his qualifying heat. Although the steeplechase has been contested in some form since 1900 at the Olympic Games, the current distance of 3000m started in 1920 and was not added as a women's event until 2008.

Answer: Eddie "the eagle" Edwards

Eddie "the eagle" Edwards was an accomplished downhill skier who almost made the 1984 British Alpine ski team. Early in his career, he was known for being one of the world's best in amateur speed skiing where he was often timed at over 100mph. Motivated by the desire to be an Olympian, Eddie moved to Lake Placid in 1985 to train.

He borrowed equipment and trained for the ski jumping event. He was totally self-funded, 20 pounds heavier than every other athlete, and completely blind when jumping due to his bifocal lenses fogging up.

Despite these obstacles he somehow qualified for the Calgary Olympic Games in 1988 and jumped 73.50m to finish dead last in the field. In 1990, the IOC instituted the "Eddie the Eagle" rule that required athletes to meet minimum standards for competing at the Olympic Games.

These standards prevented him from making the Olympic Games in 1992, 1994, or 1998.

Answer: Derek Redmond

Derek Redmond was a member of the Great Britain 4x400m team that won the silver medal at the World Championships in Rome in 1987 and the coveted gold medal at the Tokyo World Championships in 1991. The British quartet also captured gold in the 1986 European Championships and the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Derek experienced many injuries throughout his career.

In 1988 he withdrew minutes before his Olympic Games 400m heat due to an Achilles tendon problem. In 1992, he was the British record holder at 44.50 and in the best shape of his life.

He won his heat and his quarter-final races. In the semi-finals he was out fast but with 250m to go he snapped his hamstring. He collapsed to the track but got back up and started hobbling toward the finish line.

His father Jim barged past security and ran out on to the track. The two of them limped to the finish line with a standing ovation.