A Celebration on Ice and Snow, Beijing 2022: Skeleton

Skeleton is a sport in which athletes ride a sled, known as a skeleton, head first and face down on a curved track. They angle their body to steer the sled, which can reach a speed of around 135 kilometres per hour. It appears as if athletes’ chins are almost grazing the ice at that speed.

The Olympic Winter Games features only men’s skeleton single and women’s skeleton single. Skeleton uses the same track as bobsleigh and luge. The sled is mainly made of steel and carbon fiber materials without a steering or braking mechanism. The bottom of each sled has a steel framework and two steel tubular runners. No painting or heating design is allowed on the blade. A saddle is used to push the sled at the start and to hold the athlete during the run.

Athletes wear helmets to protect their heads, spiked shoes to help them grip the ice during the starting stage, and a special skin-tight aerodynamic suit to reduce air resistance and go faster. Before the race, athletes lean down to push off the sled. Once the green optical signal lights up, they must pass the first timing point within 30 seconds. To start, they grab the handles, run as fast as they can and push the sled along the start grooves. Then, they jump onto the sled in a face-down, head-first and prone position. During the race, they shift their weight to turn and tighten their arms to keep an aerodynamic position that reduces air resistance.

Competitions are held in four race heats over two days (two race heats each day). The starting order of the first race heat is determined by the draw rules of the International Sports Federations. For the remaining heats, the starting order is determined by previous results. The competitor with the shortest cumulative time of four heats wins. During the competition, competitors seek to smoothly pass every high-speed corner and avoid wrong body positions.

The helmet is equipped with a round face shield that extends down to the chin. The jumpsuit and race shoes are very smooth and aerodynamic to minimise air resistance.

Copyright: Guide to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022– A Celebration on Ice and Snow

Photo/Xinhua