Curve #13 causing problems for Olympic sliders

BEIJING, China — Athletes sliding down the Olympic luge track in Beijing seem to be having trouble getting around the course’s 13th curve.

The tricky spot has tripped up multiple sledders competing at the Yanqing venue, prompting some to wonder whether the curve is too difficult to navigate.

Team USA luge racer Emily Sweeney lost control and flipped at the 13th curve during a run on Monday.

“It’s a tough spot,” Sweeney said in a statement released by Team USA. “You have to come right. If you’re not correct coming out, the track dips away and then you’re weightless a little bit and so if you’re crooked a little bit in your sled, or if you’re not in a great spot, it’ll get you.”

Luge racers from Austria and Germany also struggled to get around the curve.

The slopey part of the track that’s been so strenuous for sledders has earned the name “Dragon’s Tail” by Olympics followers online.

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