Player's Own Voice podcast: Sam Edney slides into the future
Luger's career damaged by Russian doping
Four-time Olympian Sam Edney is Canada's best-ever male luger.
He recently peeled off his speed suit for the last time and is about to begin a new sporting career as high performance manager for the national team.
This week, even before doping concerns swirled around Canadian canoeist Laurence Vincent Lapointe, podcast host Anastasia Bucsis and Sam Edney sat down to talk about how Russian doping had such a dismaying effect on Edney's peak competing years.
His doping roller-coaster began with a disappointing fourth-place team finish in Sochi. Three years later, temporary redemption came with the announcement that due to positive results on the Russian team, Canada would become bronze winners after all.
The sucker punch was delivered mere days before the Olympics in Pyeongchang, when that decision was then reversed. The Canadian luge team strongly felt that they had been cheated of the same medal twice.
But whatever else the eve-of-competition setback did to the team mindset, Edney and his teammates regrouped and raced to a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics.
Now, the new high performance manager can look ahead. His focus is on development — of the new luge track in Calgary and the new crop of Canadian talent.
Player's Own Voice podcast looks at the lingering effects of cheating on a sporting community with Canadian luge athlete Sam Edney.
Like the CBC Sports' Player's Own Voice essay series, POV podcast lets athletes speak to Canadians about issues from a personal perspective. To listen to Sam Edney, and earlier guests this season, subscribe for free on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In or wherever you get your other podcasts.
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