Skeleton

For most people flying head first down an ice tunnel on a sled the size of a McDonald’s tray, with the very real risk of serious injury, is considered ridiculous. But for the skilful and fearless elite skeleton athletes of the world it is a normal thing to do.

Skeleton has had an erratic history in the Winter Olympics, being on the program at the second Games in St Moritz in 1928, then not included again until 1948, once more in the same Swiss town. It was dropped again until rejoining the Olympic family - hopefully on a permanent basis - in Salt Lake 2002. The Salt Lake Games was where the women’s competition was introduced.

Australia and skeleton

Michelle Steele and Shaun Boyle became Australia's first Olympic skeleton representatives when they competed at the Torino Games in 2006. Steele finished 13th and Boyle 22nd.

Steele made her World Cup debut in 2005, just 13 weeks after trying the sport. 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.

Vancouver hopeful Melissa Hoar explains her crazy sport of skeleton

Competition Format / Events

Both the men’s and women’s competition consists of four runs down the track over two days. In Torino the competition was over just two runs. Only the top 20 athletes qualify for a third and fourth run. After the four heats, the competitor with the lowest aggregate time is the winner. Eliminated competitors remain classified by their last rankings. Equal times within 1/100th of a second result in even ranks.