Michael Young (bobsleigh)
Encyclopedia
Michael Young was a Canadian
bobsledder who competed in the 1960s. He won two medals at the 1965 FIBT World Championships
in St. Moritz
with a gold in the four-man event and a bronze in the two-man event.
The following year, he was severely injured during a four-man competition at the bobsleigh track
in Lake Placid, New York
when his sled hit the superstructure of the track at Turns 13 and 14, known as the "Zig-Zag Curves", damaging his face. Young was rushed to the hospital
in Lake Placid, then flown to a hospital in Montreal
to undergo extensive plastic surgery
. This crash killed his fellow compatriot Sergio Zardini
and also featured future FIBT president Robert H. Storey
.
Young got involved with bobsleigh
, after being introduced to the sport by his cousin Vic Emery
while studying at the University of Western Ontario
. Young and the rest of the four-man crew would be honored in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Young also finished 17th in the four-man event at the 1968 Winter Olympics
in Grenoble
.
He emigrated to the United States
in 1975, settling in Denver, Colorado
. Young then moved to Dallas, Texas
where he is a business consultant.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
bobsledder who competed in the 1960s. He won two medals at the 1965 FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships 1965
The FIBT World Championships 1965 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record tenth time. The Swiss city had hosted the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, and 1959....
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
with a gold in the four-man event and a bronze in the two-man event.
The following year, he was severely injured during a four-man competition at the bobsleigh track
Lake Placid bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run. is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Lake Placid, New York, United States. This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and for the only winter Goodwill Games in 2000...
in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
when his sled hit the superstructure of the track at Turns 13 and 14, known as the "Zig-Zag Curves", damaging his face. Young was rushed to the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Lake Placid, then flown to a hospital in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to undergo extensive plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
. This crash killed his fellow compatriot Sergio Zardini
Sergio Zardini
Sergio Zardini was an Italian bobsledder who competed from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s. He won the silver medal in the two-man event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck...
and also featured future FIBT president Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey is a Canadian bobsledder who competed from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s who later became a businessman and chairman to two communication companies in Canada...
.
Young got involved with bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, after being introduced to the sport by his cousin Vic Emery
Vic Emery
Victor Emery is a Canadian businessman, gold medallist at the Olympic Winter Games and a world champion bobsledder. He was born in Montreal, Quebec....
while studying at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. Young and the rest of the four-man crew would be honored in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Young also finished 17th in the four-man event at the 1968 Winter Olympics
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
.
He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1975, settling in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. Young then moved to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
where he is a business consultant.