Georg Hackl wasn't the only one celebrating following his gold medal in the luge competition at the Winter Olympics yesterday.

Bermuda's Patrick Singleton, who has drawn admirers from around the globe, also had reason to smile after completing his first Olympic experience in 27th place.

"He's in fantastic spirits,'' John Hoskins, Bermuda Olympic Association secretary general and the Island team's Chef de Mission said from Nagano, Japan, last night.

The 23-year-old favourite of the Japanese fans posted times of 51.839 and 52.243 seconds in his final two runs early yesterday morning, putting him 8.659 seconds back of Hackl on aggregate.

Those times were also slower than his first two on Sunday but the disqualification of one athlete allowed him to move up one spot and hold off his friend, Shiva Keshavan of India, who was 28th.

"The track started to thaw a little (as the event went on),'' said Hoskins, meaning late racers such as Singleton didn't have as slick a surface to slide on. "And he didn't get a very fast start on his last run, which is crucial.'' But Hoskins said Singleton coped well with the pressure of the competition and intense media scrutiny (he has even had one Japanese television station following him wherever he went).

"He doesn't like a lot of people near him before he races, so I'm not sure how he is at the start, but most of the time he seemed pretty relaxed.'' He has also received lots of encouragement from friends and E-mail from Bermudians, which has helped, Hoskins added.

Not that everything has gone off without a hitch.

Paperwork allowing Singleton into the competition had not arrived in time and he had to spend his first night in a holding area, although he had access to the Olympic Village, Hoskins confirmed. The problem arose because Singleton stayed in Japan throughout January and showed up on the first day the Village opened, instead of going to a World Cup event in Germany as planned.

Many viewers who watched the opening ceremonies also wondered why Hoskins, and not Singleton, was carrying the Bermuda flag.

"That's the way it's been done before and we saw no reason to change it,'' Hoskins said.

Simon Payne, Bermuda's only other Winter Olympian, also did not carry the flag in 1992 or 1994, largely because the competition started the next day, Hoskins said.

"Believe me, you enjoy yourself a lot more during the opening ceremonies when you're not carrying the flag,'' he said.

The fact Hoskins was the only one wearing Bermuda shorts in 35-degree temperatures might have also taken away the enjoyment but Hoskins called the conditions "quite nice.'' Singleton is staying in an apartment set aside for Bermuda, along with his father and coach Derek, in the Olympic Village, about 25 minutes outside Nagano. Hoskins is staying in an IOC hotel in Nagano.

He leaves on Sunday and after a stop-over in London arrives back in Bermuda next Thursday. Singleton is expected to stay in Nagano through the closing ceremonies on February 20.

Hackl was involved in very tight contests with Austrian Markus Prock in Albertville and Lillehammer, the last decided by just 0.013 of a second -- the closest finish in Olympic luge history.

But after a season in which he has failed to sparkle on the World Cup circuit, the Bavarian soldier dominated the Nagano event throughout to beat Italian silver medallist Armin Zoeggeler by more than half a second -- a huge margin.

Prock failed even to get a medal, with German veteran Jens Mueller, the 1988 Olympic champion, taking the bronze.

Only five other competitors have won three consecutive Olympic golds in the same event -- figure skaters Gillis Grafstrom (Sweden), Sonja Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina (former Soviet Union), Nordic combined competitor Ulrich Wehling of the former East Germany and US speed skater Bonnie Blair.

More coverage, Pages 18, 20 WINTER THRILL -- Patrick Singleton speeds down the Spiral Track in Nagano during his third run yesterday in the men's luge competition. He finished his first Winter Olympics in 27th position.