Nordor Kumaritashvili tragically died during a practice session for the Olympics. Just hours before the opening ceremony on Friday the athlete sped to his death on the slick, icy tunnel. The pictures and video are making the rounds and it is a scary thing. The speed alone is dangerous not to mention the position required to navigate the track. Poor guy simply flipped off his sled and over the embankment.

Backseatcuddler has the details and video:

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, from the Republic of Georgia was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after losing control of his sled during a training run at nearly 90 mph on the bobsled/luge track in Whistler, 70 miles north of Vancouver. His body flew out of the banked run and struck an unpadded steel roof support.

What a tragedy. The team will go on minus Nordor.