Former Canadian Olympian Pierre Lueders enjoying success with Russian bobsled team

Despite being a former Olympian and one of Canada's most decorated sliders, Pierre Lueders decided to switch his allegiance to the host country. The former gold medalist retired from competition following the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and turned into a coach. 

Lueders enjoyed an extremely successful career for Canada, but the 43-year-old revealed how an interesting conversation with a Canadian bobsled official motivated him to become an even better coach. 

"He told me that successful athletes like my myself generally don't make good coaches. I was basically told to expect to fail. I didn't take it very well, and I've always kept that in the back of my head used it to motivate me," Lueders said to The Globe and Mail.

During his Olympic debut as a coach with Russia, Lueders proved the doubters wrong. Lueders guided the Russians to a gold medal in the men's two-man event, after a disappointing performance in Vancouver. 

Although he no longer competes professionally, the former Olympian revealed that he still slides to motivate his team. 

"Whenever I slid, the young guys on the team would say, 'We've got to beat this guy,'" Lueders said. "They never had a coach who went out sliding with them. At first, they were shocked - they were half a second behind me. That motivated the team."

Regardless of his success with Canada as a coach and slider, Lueders is proud to work with Russia and help deliver success. 

"My job is to be loyal to Russia, and loyal to this program. It's been such a rewarding experience working with the Russians."