‘Biggest pride I’ll ever feel’

A.J. Edelman has no delusions of grandeur. He has qualified for the Olympics, one of only 30 skeleton racers out of hundreds who compete at a high level, and he’s going to enjoy every minute of his opportunity to represent Israel on the world stage.

If he can finish in the top25 when the races get underway Feb. 14-15, Edelman will be thrilled. Just being at the Olympics as the first Israeli athlete to qualify in a sliding sport is his gold medal.

“It’s incredible, it’s so hard to describe because I think there’s a level of pride sliding for Israel that I don’t think can be felt by other nationalities,” Edelman says. “It sounds narcissistic to say but there’s something else there, in sliding for Israel, as a Jew. Even when landing in the country, there’s a special feeling. You feel like you’ve come home.

“Sliding for Israel, representing Israel on the world’s biggest stage, is indescribable I’m sure it’s going to be the biggest pride I’ll ever feel in my whole life.”

Coach and mentor David Greaves of Winnipeg, says the 26-year-old Edelman has already reached for the stars and grabbed a handful just by getting here.

“To not have a coach to work with year after year and to basically get here on the shoestring that we’ve had was a huge accomplishment,” Greaves says. “We don’t think we’re going to come in last place, we think we’re going to edge toward top-25 and that would be great.”