Brian Freeman remembered by World Cup team mates

WORLD Cup bobsled leader Steven Holcomb mourned the loss of a friend and former teammate today (AEDT) when the US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation announced the death of Brian Freeman.

Freeman, a US Army captain in Iraq and a former top-level slider, died at the weekend of wounds suffered from mortar and arms fire in Iraq.

As a member of the US military's world class athlete program from 2002 through 2004, Freeman competed in bobsled and skeleton events, taking third as a brakeman in the four-man sled of two-time Olympian Mike Kohn in a 2002 event.

"He became not only my team-mate, but also my friend," Holcomb, a 2006 Olympian who leads this season's world cup overall title chase after back-to-back four-man triumphs, said.

"He was one of the greatest men I have ever known. The time I spent with Brian not only made me a better person, but a better athlete. He was a brilliant, honourable humanitarian."

Freeman competed in three 2003 skeleton races here with a top finish of fifth after sliding on the teams of Kohn and John Napier in late 2002.

"Brian will always be remembered for his willingness to ride with any driver so that the driver could gain more valuable experience driving the track, even if that meant crashing a few times," US Skeleton manager Steve Peters said.

"As a result, many of those drivers later went on to make future world cup teams and the 2006 Olympic team."

From the Bulletin

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