Skeleton at the Winter Olympics

Skeleton is a winter sport featured in the Winter Olympics where the competitor rides head-first and prone (lying face down) on a flat sled. It is normally run on an ice track that allows the sled to gain speed by gravity. It was first contested at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz and again in 1948 Winter Olympics, after which it was discontinued as an Olympic sport. Skeleton was reintroduced at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, with both men's and women's events, and has been held in each Winter Olympic competition since. Skeleton is so-named as the first metal sleds introduced in 1892 were said to resemble a human skeleton.

Skeleton at the Winter Olympics
Governing bodyIBSF
Events2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Games
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1998

The sport is similar to, but not to be confused with, luge, another form of sled racing where the competitor rides on the back and feet-first. Often using the same courses, the racing physics are not identical.

Great Britain is the only nation to have won a medal every time skeleton has featured at the Olympic Games, and has won at least one medal in each of the five contests of Women's skeleton since its introduction with five different athletes.


Events

Event2428323648525660646872768084889294980206101418Years
Men's skeleton7
Women's skeleton5
Total events1122222


Medals

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)3418
2 Great Britain (GBR)3159
3 Canada (CAN)2114
4 Russia (RUS)1023
 Switzerland (SUI)1023
6 Italy (ITA)1001
 South Korea (KOR)1001
8 Germany (GER)0213
9 Latvia (LAT)0202
10 Austria (AUT)0101
 Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR)0101
Totals (11 nations)12121236

Updated after 2018 Winter Olympics.

Nations

Numbers indicate the number of skeleton racers each nation sent to that Olympics.

Nation2428323648525660646872768084889294980206101418Years
 Argentina (ARG)11
 Australia (AUS)23324
 Austria (AUT)21221327
 Belgium (BEL)11
 Bermuda (BER)11
 Canada (CAN)556465
 China (CHN)11
 Croatia (CRO)11
 Czech Republic (CZE)11
 France (FRA)111115
 Germany (GER)446565
 Ghana (GHA)11
 Great Britain (GBR)14234447
 Greece (GRE)212
 Ireland (IRL)11114
 Israel (ISR)11
 Italy (ITA)21222117
 Jamaica (JAM)11
 Japan (JPN)333335
 Latvia (LAT)112335
 Lebanon (LIB)11
 Mexico (MEX)11
 Netherlands (NED)11
 New Zealand (NZL)123215
 Nigeria (NGR)11
 Norway (NOR)11114
 Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR)21
 Poland (POL)11
 Romania (ROU)1223
 Russia (RUS)22464
 Slovenia (SLO)11
 South Africa (RSA)11
 South Korea (KOR)11234
 Spain (ESP)1113
 Switzerland (SUI)24332117
 Ukraine (UKR)11
 United States (USA)24545547
Nations661921191724
Skeleton racers10153942484750

See also

References

    Media related to Skeleton at the Olympics at Wikimedia Commons

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