Ludmila Engquist’s investment in two-man bobsleigh in the early 2000s came as a surprise to many. The goal was the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.
But the former track and field star didn’t seem to enjoy the high speeds. Several people testify to that in the new SVT documentary “Hall of Fame” whose first two episodes depict Ludmila Engquist’s sports career.
– She didn’t feel good about it. It appeared quite often in various interviews. I, who had met her a lot during her track and field career, immediately thought: this is where the bobsled venture went wrong, says sports commentator Tommy Åström.
In two-man bobsled, there is a pilot and a brakeman. Ludmila had the role of brakeman, the one who runs at the back and jumps in last after the starting stretch, while the pilot sits in front and steers.
– It is scariest for the person who is the brakeman. Because they don’t see or hear anything, but keep their heads down and sit doubled up in the back of the bob and hope that the one in front doesn’t crash, explains Peter Jadesjö, former bobsled team skier.
Ludmila’s own explanation: “I was in a depression”
During the track, the riders can get up to 120 kilometers per hour.
– You really have to be able to sit in the back and get bangs and be afraid, quite simply, of crashing.
In the documentary, Ludmila Engquist herself tells why she started competing in bobsleigh.
– It was my idea. But not because I wanted to go bobsledding. I was in a depression when I quit (athletics) the way I did, with a hamstring injury. I felt terribly bad.
– And then the opportunity came with the bob, to get busy again with some investment, some training, she says.
Watch the documentary “Ludmila – the Queen of Sweden” on SVT Play