Finalising preparations Thursday for his fifth Olympiad, Lueders was emphatic when asked to allude to his family's German roots.
"My parents came to Canada and they're proud Canadians. I'm a proud Canadian," stressed Lueders, 39. "It just so happens my parents wanted to come to a better country."
But Germany can take a little credit for something - not least, Lueder's career.
That's because the former decathlete only turned to bobsleigh after German cousin Gunnar Meinhardt introduced him to it on a visit to Berlin more than 20 years ago.
"Speed, danger - it sounded exciting," the son of East German émigrés observed.
Whatever Lueders thinks of the relative merits of Canada and Germany he's held in high esteem in both countries, having had a German fan club since his 1995 World Championships silver medal at Winterburg.
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