Winter Olympics: What is skeleton and how does it work? - Everything you need to know about Britain’s most successful winter sport

Mystique Ro is about to make her Winter Olympics debut. The 31-year-old, who was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Nokesville, Virginia, is looking to make her mark when she takes the stage at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

To hear Mystique Ro talk about the first time she went on a skeleton run is to wonder why on earth the former track athlete stuck with one of the wilder Winter Olympic sports — one that involves hurtling face-first down an icy track at 80 to 90 mph on a thin fiberglass sled.

Skeleton is one of the fastest sports at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Here’s how the head-first sliding event works and who is competing for the U.S. (AP photo)

Learn how Olympic skeleton competition works — from the structure of heats and timing rules to how medal winners are determined across men’s and women’s events at the Winter Games of Milan Cortina 2026.

Olympic sliders Matt Weston and Cynthia Appiah break down bobsleigh and skeleton — from how they steer at nearly 90-miles-per-hour to why equipment, sprint starts, and smooth control make or break a gold run.

Just days before the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to begin, U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender is still fighting for a spot. The American is at the center of a controversy after the Canadian skeleton team made a decision at a recent race that ultimately cost her a sixth Olympic appearance.

Olympic sliding sports – bobsled, luge and skeleton – are known for their speed. Athletes chase medals down a track of ice at up to 80 or 90 mph. With this thrill comes the risk of “sled head.” Athletes use the term to explain the dizziness,

Watching the Winter Olympics is an adrenaline rush as athletes fly down snow-covered ski slopes, luge tracks and over the ice at breakneck speeds and with grace. When the first Olympic Winter Games were held in Chamonix,