A skeleton racer gets off to a fast run.

An Olympic athlete sprints on an ice track, bent over, pushing a small sled at the start of a run, legs and arms blurred by motion.

Stefano Rellandini / AFP / Getty

Austin Florian of Team USA begins a run at a skeleton men’s training session at Cortina Sliding Center, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, on February 11, 2026, during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Skeleton athletes, wearing spiked shoes, sprint for up to 100 feet at the beginning of a race, propelling themselves into a slide that can reach speeds of more than 90 miles per hour.

Previously:

February 10: Wipeout on the Ice

February 9: A Midair Celebration

February 8: Sliding Beneath the Mountain

February 7: Drone Chase

February 6: Dynamic Cauldrons

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