Five world championship titles, Olympic gold and a serious illness characterize the life path of Steven Holcomb in the “Night Train”. Eight years have passed since the bob icon died, but the question marks remain.
What happened on May 6, 2017 in a hotel room in Lake Placid? The whole truth may remain hidden forever, but eight years ago, bobsleighs have definitely lost one of its greatest athletes.
The death of Steven Holcomb at the age of 37 has shaken the scene and raised questions that are still not finally clarified. The American was found dead in his room on the day of the Olympic training center in Lake Placid.
The suspicion of a suicide quickly circulated, but the bob icon officially died of lung and water in the lungs – at least that is the autopsy report. The forensic medical examination then brought a large amount of alcohol (1.8 per thousand) and sleeping pills to light.
While the family of the late bob pilot is understandably about not leaving any further details on the public, the sports world still concerns the question of whether it could have been an accident or suicide.
On the outside, Holcomb always looked in a good mood and brought euphoric fans to the ice channels of this world. Deep inside the American it often looked very different.
Serious eye disease hinders ascent to the world leadership
Holcomb, which was included in the “Army World Class Athlete Program” at the Utah National Guard in 1999/2000, proved to be a great talent at an early stage and took part in World Championships for the first time in 2002. In the same year, however, he was diagnosed with progressive deformation of the cornea, which continued to restrict his eyesight.
Steven Holcomb is one of the most successful BOB pilots in history
Later he jokingly described in an interview that his view in the ice channel was “like if I had a few drinks too much and people advised me to target the middle. I had no problem with it – I always did that anyway”. How violently the matter had also taken away emotionally was not yet clear at that time.
180-degree turn after attempted suicide
The otherwise fearless pilot was actually plagued by bad worries and fears. These went so far that – as he revealed in an interview for a documentary – he wanted to take life in 2007.
“I was afraid to completely go blind. It seemed logical to me. They would no longer waste money and time for me. I would make everyone a favor, and everything would be fine,” he described his suicide attempt, about which he also spoke openly in his 2012 autobiography “But Now I See – My Journey from Blindness to Olympic Gold”.
Only after the failed attempt did he reveal his vision problems for his coach Brian Shimer, which resulted in an 180-degree turn. Shimer referred the athlete to a doctor who was able to restore visual skills with a new operation Holcombs.
Holcomb immortalized himself as a five -time world champion and Olympic champion
From here it went uphill for the natural talent. Holcomb won his first World Cup medal in 2008 and became world champion for the first time in Lake Placid in 2009. But that’s not all. In 2010, the American became in the “Night Train” – as his four -person sledge was called in view of the striking black marker – Olympic champion.
“I don’t really look at the track, it is more so that I feel everything and feel how the sledge moves,” Holcomb described his secret of success, even if his visual skills have long since been intact.
Holcomb then became the very big bob idol in the USA in 2012 when he collected three gold medals at the home World Cup in Lake Placid.
Steven Holcomb with the legendary “Night Train”
Holcomb mixed in the World Cup until the 2016/17 season, although his last big medal was a silver at the 2014 Olympics. It is still unclear whether they have not returned the fear and bad thoughts from the past. His tragic death occurred just a few weeks after the end of the 2016/17 season.
Did Holcomb fail because of his own pressure?
Filmmaker Brett Rapkin does not believe in suicide theory. “There was no signs for me that he wanted to do something. He was looking forward to the return of teammates, he had many plans,” he said. Rapkin actually wanted to create a documentary about the success story of the athlete, but in the end the title was: “The Load of Gold”.
After all, that was always the goal of the BOB icon. “I don’t hold back. Either we win or we fall. I’m not here to be fifth,” he described his ambition in his biography. He has already adopted this motto as a child when he initially drove as a talented skier by best times.
In the last few months of his life, Holcomb has fought to educate eye disease that has shaped his life so strongly. In the course of this he received many emails. “It is simply incredible and the more people we can reach and clarify it, the more people we can save,” he said in an interview with magazine People shortly before his death.
Holcomb himself could save his eyesight, but in the end not his life. What remains are many open questions, but also the memory of a real champion in the ice channel.