Skeleton: a little-known protagonist of the Winter Olympics

We could say that skeleton is luge's not-too-distant cousin. Its origins date back to the end of the 19th century in the town of St. Moritz. Here, in 1885, the Cresta Run slope was created: a natural ice rink 1214 metres long, still considered to be the most prestigious downhill run of this sport. In 1887 the participants in this race began to go down to a prone position; the inventor of this variant was the English McCormac, when people realized that his downhill time was much shorter. In fact, the position he used allowed for a higher downhill speed, thanks to greater aerodynamics. The skeleton was born.
The name of the discipline was given later, in fact it dates back to 1892 when a new type of luge was introduced, essentially consisting of a metal frame that remembered the structure of the human skeleton.

For decades, skeleton competitions were held only in St. Moritz. It is no coincidence that the skeleton was included in the winter Olympic programme of both editions of the Games hosted by Switzerland in 1928 and 1948. Because of its dangerousness and inadequate slopes, this sport was absent from the Olympic scene for more than fifty years, it was re-integrated into the Olympic program starting from Salt Lake City 2002.

Skeleton runs are the same used for luge and bobsleigh. The races are timed, which means that the athlete has to cross the artificial ice slope as quickly as possible. As in lugeing, there are several runs with different starting orders.

The start is the same as bob. At the green traffic light, the skeletonist has a maximum time of 30 seconds to start. After the race/thrust phase, which varies from 25 to 40 meters, the athlete takes his place on the sledge and begins their descent. After the finish line, the track develops uphill to allow braking. The position of the skeletonists is face down. Athletes must stay prone, with the face downstream and arms along the body. This is definitely the biggest difference compared to lugeing. The speed they can reach can reach up to 130/140 km/h. Only the thrust force of the athlete and the force of gravity are allowed to move the slide. To impress direction and movement there is only the thrust force: the contraction of a muscle is sufficient to determine a variation.

The sled used for skeleton has a steel frame and the upper part is padded for the athlete's comfort. The skids are also made of steel and have a constant diameter of 16 mm. The total weight of the skeleton may not exceed 33 kg for men and 29 kg for women, while the length is between 80 and 120 cm and 8 to 20 cm high. The distance between the two skids must be between 34 and 38 cm.

Skeletonists' uniform includes helmet, suit and shoes; athletes wear a very light, aerodynamic helmet. Aerodynamic appendixes are not permitted in the tracksuit. The footwear can have a maximum of 8 nails, 7 mm long and 2 mm in diameter, to avoid damaging the ice of the track. The total weight, sleigh and athlete, must not exceed 115 kg for men and 92 kg for women. To reach the maximum total weight, you can add ballast to the slide. Adding ballast to the body of athletes is forbidden. Any steering and brake elements of the slide are forbidden, as well as any hydraulic and pneumatic installation.
The main competitions, in addition to the winter Olympic Games, are the World Cup and the World Championships. The international competitions were initially open only to men but, between the end of the 1990s and 2002, women entered the world of skeleton.