The Skeleton

In the Olympics many people only enjoy watching hockey or skiing snowboarding events. Others watch speed skating and bobsledding. One event that is overlooked usually is the skeleton.

The skeleton is like the luge. The athlete gets a running start and takes off on a small board face first. They reach unbelievable speeds flying through the course. Any small mistake they make can cost them precious time. Hundredths of a second can separate you from a medal to placing last in the competition.

It was first introduced in the 1928 Olympics and again in the 1948 games. Although, the sport can be traced back as far as 1882 in Switzerland.  It was finally introduced as an official event in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The United States is the most dominant country in this event. They have 6 medals and Great Britain is in second with 5. The first official gold medalist in this event is Jimmy Shae, who won the event in 2002. The US is predicted to win the Skeleton in the 2014 Winter Olypmics.