Norton Saint-Gobain Continues Partnership with U.S. Olympic Luge Team
Norton Saint-Gobain Abrasives displays its Olympic medal-winning capabilities at its IMTS 2018 booth, with a visit from USA Luge bronze medalist Erin Hamlin.
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Edited by
Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld
USA Luge bronze medalist Erin Hamlin (right) credits Norton Saint-Gobain’s products and expertise for the team’s Olympic successes. She poses here with Norton Vice President Brad Johnson.
Norton Saint-Gobain Abrasives is showing off its medal-winning collaboration with the U.S. Olympic luge team at its booth. Erin Hamlin, the first American woman to win a medal at the Olympics in luge, can be seen in the booth today from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In addition to signing autographs, Hamlin is handing out a limited number of USA Luge bells.
A native of Remsen, New York, four-time Olympic veteran and World Champion in 2009 and 2017, Hamlin won a bronze medal in Sochi, Russia, in 2014 in women's singles, making her the first woman to stand on the podium for USA Luge. Hamlin and the USA Luge team credit Norton Saint-Gobain as playing an important role in getting Hamlin to the winner’s podium.
As a primary sponsor of the USA Luge team, the company brings its products, expertise and technical assistance to improve sled performance by reducing friction on the ice and increasing speed. Norton engineers, located at the company’s Research and Development Center in Northborough, Massachusetts, analyzed the metallurgy of history's swiftest sled runners and used that data to develop new steel recipes for sled runners that increase speed, control and consistency. Recently, with the help of Norton products and expertise, Chris Mazdzer became the first American man to win a medal in luge men’s singles in PyeongChang, South Korea, at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The relationship between the company and USA Luge dates back almost 35 years, when the company began donating sandpaper products for the athletes to shape and polish runners on the sleds. The company is continuing as primary sponsor of the team through the next Olympics in Beijing, China, in 2022.
“Norton engineers understand that we need to be on the cutting edge of technology to reach striking distance of a medal win. They work with our team to make the best, fastest sleds,” says Hamlin. “Norton is more than just a sponsor and partner, they are like family that watch and cheer on every race.”
Find a seven-minute documentary about the company’s partnership with the Olympic team on the Norton Abrasives YouTube channel, or at gbm.media/luge.