CESANA PARIOL, Italy (CP) _ Pierre Lueders of Edmonton was fourth
after the first two runs of Olympic four-man bobsled racing Friday.
The third and fourth runs to decide the medals are Saturday.
Andre Lange of Germany was in first place with a two-run combined
time of one minute 50.50 seconds on a snowy day in the Alps.
Lange, 32, won this event at the 2002 Olympics and he also won
the last three world championships.
Martin Annen, 32, of Switzerland was in second place in 1:50.63.
Alexandre Zoubkov of Russia in third spot in 1:50.67. Zoubkov, 31,
led the World Cup circuit this winter.
Lueders, 35, was fourth in 1:50.77 with Ken Kotyk of Kenora,
Ont., Morgan Alexander of Regina and Jamaican-born Lascelles Brown,
who lives in Calgary.
Lueders is pursuing a third career Olympic medal in the sport. If
he gets it, he would become the first Canadian to win two bobsled
medals at a single Olympics. The six-foot, 220-pounder won two-man
gold in 1998 and two-man silver behind Lange last Sunday.
A second Canadian entry piloted by Serge Despres, 27, of Moncton,
N.B., is sitting 20th.
Brazil's Ricardo Raschini and his crew emerged uninjured after
overturning during the first run.
The 1,435-metre track has 19 curves and a vertical drop of 114
metres. There were 6,143 ticketed spectators. Capacity is 7,130.
