George Franklin Tucker (born December 15, 1947, in San Juan, Puerto Rico[1]) is a Puerto Rican physicist and former Olympic luger.[2]
He represented Puerto Rico in the luge event at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, and was the only Puerto Rican representative at the Games.[3] He was also the country's flagbearer.[4] Tucker was, at the time, a doctoral student at Wesleyan University in the United States. He was later described by Sports Illustrated as "overweight but quick-witted" and as "the press's favorite loser". He finished last in his event, and reportedly "got a lot more press in the States than Paul Hildgartner, the Italian who won the gold medal".[5] He described himself as "the luger who dripped blood", and Time reported that he "shed alarming amounts of skin bouncing off the wall".[6]
Tucker represented Puerto Rico again at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary,[7] but was, this time, one of nine Puerto Rican competitors.[8] Tucker competed in the luge with teammate Raúl Muñiz.[9] This time, he did not finish last.[10]
According to Puerto Rican bobsled coach Rich Kolko, Tucker in 1984 "set the standard for Caribbean nations competing" in Winter sports – such as the Jamaican bobsled team.[11]
References edit
- ^ "George Tucker" Archived April 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Sports References
- ^ "The Jests of the Rest", Time, February 29, 1988
- ^ "Puerto Rico at the 1984 Calgary Winter Games" Archived April 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Sports References
- ^ Time magazine
- ^ "Losers Of Renown", Sports Illustrated, January 27, 1988
- ^ "The Jests of the Rest", Time, February 29, 1988
- ^ "George Tucker" Archived April 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Sports References
- ^ "Puerto Rico at the 1988 Calgary Winter Games" Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Sports References
- ^ "Sports World Specials; Being There", New York Times, January 18, 1988
- ^ Victor Mather (17 November 2017). "Nigeria Has an Olympic-Level Bobsled Team, and Tonga Had a Luger". New York Times.
- ^ "Olympics: Five days to Albertville; Sledding Controversy Leads to Compensation", New York Times, February 3, 1992
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