Skeleton is one of the fastest winter sports you've probably never heard of. Athletes are competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (Feb 6-22, 2026), racing face down onto a sled, descending the icy track at 130-140 km/hr and guiding the equipment using body movements. The sport is as intense as it sounds—and it's been capturing headlines this year with historic moments, surprising upsets, and athletes from unexpected places making their Olympic dreams come true.
Think of skeleton as the most extreme sledding sport ever created. Skeleton is an Olympic sliding sport where athletes ride a small sled face down and head first down a steep iced track, reaching speeds of over 80mph. Unlike luge (where racers lie on their backs), skeleton racers tackle the track face down. Riders control the sled with subtle shifts in their body movement, all while being just centimeters from the ice. It takes guts, precision, and fearlessness. The sport requires both explosive power in the push start and technical finesse navigating the track's curves at highway speeds.
This year brings fresh excitement to skeleton at the Olympics. A mixed team event pairs one man and one woman athlete from the same National Olympic Committee in a relay-style competition, with each athlete completing a run and combined times determining the winning team. This new format adds a dynamic team element to what's traditionally been an individual sport. Kellie Delka is heading to Italy for her second Olympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as the only competitor representing Puerto Rico, participating in skeleton. Her journey from Texas to two Olympic appearances competing for a tropical island nation is the kind of underdog story that makes the Winter Games special. Meanwhile, Great Britain's skeleton team is led by world No. 1 Matt Weston, with high hopes for medals after disappointing results in Beijing 2022.