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| Bobsleigh Skeleton |
Considered the world's first sliding sport, skeleton originated as a form of luge in the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the late 1800s. The first competition was held in 1884, riders raced down the road from St. Moritz to Celerina, where the winner received a bottle of champagne. It wasn't until 1887 that riders began competing in the prone (on the stomach) position used today. Skeleton athletes lie on their stomachs with their heads at the front of the sled, speeding and winding their way down the track. The sport took its name in 1892, when a new sled made mostly of metal was introduced. People thought it looked like a skeleton. |
| Olympic History |
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Skeleton has been a part of the Winter Olympics on only two occasions, in 1928 and 1948, both times in St Moritz, the Swiss town which was the birthplace of the sport back in the 1800s.
At Salt Lake 2002, the men’s event returned to the official program and for the first time a womens event was included.
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| Australia in this sport |
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Michelle Steele and Shaun Boyle become Australia's first Olympic skeleton representatives when they competed at the Torino Games in 2006. Steele finished 13th and Boyle 22nd.
Steele who made her World Cup debut in 2005, just 13 weeks after trying the sport, is aiming for selection at the Vancouver Games. Thanks to the high performance skeleton program from the Australian Institute of Sport, where beach sprinters and track athletes were targeted, Australia has a very strong program particularly the women where four top performers are in contention.
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| The Sport |
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Skeleton is held on the same course as the bobsleigh and luge (1200m). It is a two run event, with the gold medal going to the competitor with the best aggregate time. Runs are timed electronically to 0.01 seconds with competitors travelling as fast as 130km/h. Only the prone position is allowed, although competitors who come off the sled temporarily, are not disqualified if they cross the finish line back on the sled.
There is a limit of 30 athletes in the men's event and 15 in the women's. In the second run, only the top 20 men and the top 12 women from the first run can start. They start in reverse order of finishing time in the first run. Each nation may enter a maximum of three athletes in the men’s competition and a maximum of two athletes in the women’s competition.
To gain momentum, the athlete pushes the sled at the start before diving into a prone position. Athletes use spiked shoes to help them grip the ice while exploding at the start. Like in luge, the temperature of the runners are carefully monitored to ensure no-one is trying to juice their sled.
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| Equipment |
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The sport of skeleton utilises sleds with two runners. The frame must be constructed of steel, and there are specifications governing the dimensions and the maximum weight of the sled. Ballast may be added to the sled until it reaches the maximum weight, but the ballast cannot be attached to the driver’s body. The dimensions of the sled must be between 80 to 120cm long and 8 to 20cm high and are the same for both men and women.
In the men’s competition, the maximum weight of sled and driver, including equipment, is 115 kilograms. The sled alone may not weigh more than 33kg. In the women’s event, the weight of sled and driver, including equipment, may not be more than 92kg. The maximum weight of the sled alone is 29 kg.
The runners are not allowed to be heated and the use of devices to assist with braking are prohibited. A maximum of eight spikes are allowed on the base of the shoe and spikes must be no more than 7mm. All competitors must wear helmets with chin guards.
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Skeleton Events
Men
Individual
Women
Individual
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