Fellow Canadian Duff Gibson won the gold by .26 seconds over Pain?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Gibson posted a combined time of one minute 55.88 seconds, followed by Pain at 1:56.14. Staehli?EUR??,,????'?????<

Gibson set the track record during his first run, clocking a time of 57.80 seconds, while Pain?EUR??,,????'?????<

Like Pain, Gibson hails from Calgary, where is he a firefighter. For the season, and prior to the Olympics, Pain won three gold medals and one silver in 2005-06 World Cup competition and finished first overall in the World Cup standings.

Gibson had two top-five finishes in World Cup competition this season and finished 14th in overall in the World Cup standings. Pain placed sixth at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, four spots ahead of Gibson.

Pain, who came into the Olympic Games as the reigning world champion, added a new pair of shoes to his repertoire for this event. Pain designed the aerodynamic running spikes, which were custom built by Nike.

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The gear skeleton sliders wear is similar to their bobsled counterparts, but Pain said since skeleton sliders bodies are exposed to the elements, they need to have a more aerodynamic appearance.

Pain noted that the typical sliders shoes have a square heel, which is not conducive to good airflow. The Pain designed shoe has a rounded heel and is made of fabric that provides better aerodynamics than the typical black mesh material.