MAKING NEWS
MONACO SHINES AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS WITH HISTORIC RESULTS
One of the smallest Olympic teams managed to pull off some of the biggest results ! Monaco ’ s team made history at this year ’ s winter Olympics in Beijing . Bobsledders Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain attained the sixth fastest time in the two-man bobsleigh event . Never before in history has a Monegasque athlete finished with better results at the Olympic Games . Downhill skier Arnaud Alessandria , Monaco ’ s third athlete at the Winter Games , also broke records for the Principality . After competing in three competitions , he obtained the best result Monaco has ever had in an Olympic skiing event .
On the second day , after a restoring night ’ s sleep , the team hit the ice with incredible speed during their first run of the day . Jetting down a tricky track with 16 curves at different angles and slopes , the team raced across the finish line with a time of 59.57 seconds , moving them up two places in the standings . All of a sudden , the Monegasques were in the running for a bronze medal , only 0.21 seconds behind the third place Germans , Christophe Hafer and Matthias Sommer .
But a medal was not in the cards for the lightening-fast duo , when their final descent clocked in at 1:00.05 , or tenth place , their worst result in the entire competition . Although their Olympic medal dreams were brought to a stuttering halt , not all was lost . Red and white supporters in Beijing and back home in Monaco watching from their screens were still elated with the bobsledders ’ results .
© DR
BEST OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE FOR MONACO IN HISTORY
Prince Albert II of Monaco with the Monaco bobsleigh team
“ THE HOUSE OF SPEED ”
Hearts were racing and fans were cheering on athletes from around the globe at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre , also known as The House of Speed and the venue for bobsleigh , luge and skeleton events during this year ’ s Winter Games .
During their first run , Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain were ninth out of 30 , before ranking seventh after their second and final run of the first day . According to Rudy Rinaldi , the team was disappointed with the first day ’ s outcome , especially because the team had achieved better results in training .
IN THE RUNNING FOR A BRONZE MEDAL
With their sixth place finish , Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain obliterated the previous record performance : Patrice Sevette and Jérémy Bottin ’ s 12th place finish in the 2006 bobsleigh event . Monaco fans may have been overjoyed with the result , but one member of the bobsleigh team couldn ’ t help but feel a little disappointed . In a quick interview right after the race , Rudy Rinaldi confessed that he was a little sad because he wanted to please everyone and get closer to the podium . According to the athlete , their result may have surprised a lot of people , but it was at their current level . Their level has considerably improved since their last Games in 2018 , when the pair came in 19th . Boris Vain , on the other hand , was very pleased with the result , saying that sixth place for Monaco is an incredible source of great pride .
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