Explainer | Winter Olympics: what is skeleton? Everything you need to know, from Beijing 2022 contenders to who invented it
- Extreme sledding sport sees athletes throw themselves down icy slope at speeds of up to 140 kilometres an hour
- Britain will be looking to continue success from Pyeongchang and Sochi, while China will look to benefit from home court advantage
The Winter Olympics isn’t short of extreme sports.
But one of the more unique events is the skeleton – where athletes throw themselves head first down an icy slope at speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour.
Here’s everything you need to know about the sport, ahead of its return to the global spotlight at February’s Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
What is skeleton?
Skeleton is a winter sport where athletes run and jump onto a sledge, belly down, and speed off down a track, using their legs and shoulders to control their direction. It’s similar to luge, except the athlete is racing head first, as opposed to being on their back.
Skeleton is one of the three sliding sports at Beijing 2022, alongside the luge and bobsleigh. The competition only has two events – the men’s and women’s singles – meaning only just medals are up for grabs, making competition for a podium spot fierce.
Both the men’s and women’s competitions consist of four runs over two days that are added together, and the athlete with the fastest combined time is the winner.
Who invented it?
Skeleton comes from the traditional winter activity of sleighing, which dates back to the 19th century in Switzerland. The sledges were often referred to as “skeletons”.
Skeleton made its first two Olympic appearances at the 1928 and 1948 St Moritz Games, but then went on a 52-year hiatus.
It made a reappearance in the Olympic programme at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, and has been part of the Winter Games ever since.
Which country is best at it?
Great Britain has taken the most Olympic medals (9) from the sport, and is closely followed by the United States (8).
Team GB’s Lizzy Yarnold has won two gold medals in skeleton, more than any other athlete, at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018
Who to watch out for
Yarnold’s teammate Laura Deas will be one to watch at Beijing 2022, having taken bronze in 2018. She will be up against Jacqueline Loelling, who finished second at the 2021 World Championships, and her German teammate Tina Hermann, who finished fourth.
Some of China’s top prospects include Zhao Dan, who finished seventh at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, and Lin Huiyang, who finished 13th at the World Championships in what was the best-ever result for China’s women’s team.
At the last three Olympics, the men’s skeleton gold has gone to the host nation. Host nations have held an advantage as their own athletes have access to practise on the same track that will be used on the big day. Yan Wengang and Chen Wenhao will be representing China.
Though the pair are among the mainland’s best, Yan and Chen finished eighth and 12th, respectively, in the IBSF World Cup last November. Time will tell if a home court advantage will be enough to reach the podium.
They will be up against 2018 gold medallist Yun Sung-bin of South Korea and Martins Dukurs from Latvia, who is the six-time world champion and double Olympic silver medallist.
