The 2026 Winter Olympics are here! Skeleton athletes will battle it out for gold, sliding head first like a penguin down the Cortina Sliding Centre at speeds of around 80 mph (130 kph) during the first full week of the Games. But who will come out on top?

by Deen

Debut of the Mixed Team event

For the first time ever, there will be three different skeleton events for athletes to tackle. The mixed team event makes its debut in Italy alongside the usual men’s and women’s individual events.

The mixed event will be a breath of fresh air, with one male and one female slider from qualified nations coming together as a team. Unlike the individual events, athletes can only start once the starting gantry lights go out. It promises to be exciting, fun and unpredictable.

Preview – Men’s Individual Competition

Matt Weston enters as the overwhelming favourite. The Brit has dominated the sport since a disappointing Beijing 2022, arriving in Cortina as the reigning World, European and three-time World Cup champion. Weston has claimed five of the seven World Cup golds this season, with silver in the other two. One of those golds came at the season-opening Olympic test event on the Olympic track. Remarkably, Weston won that one despite jogging off the start due to a thigh injury.

Marcus Wyatt came out on top in the other two World Cup events, making it a British clean sweep of the World Cup golds. Wyatt finished the World Cup season third overall but with a disappointing 12th in the test event.

Yin Zheng comes in as a strong medal contender after an incredibly consistent season. Yin finished in the top seven in every single World Cup event, including a bronze in the test event after leading following the first heat.

Defending Olympic champion Christopher Grotheer has been Weston’s main rival since Beijing. However, two consecutive early-season injuries on his leg and calf have hampered his Olympic season. Still, medals at two of the last three World Cup events highlight Grotheer is peaking just in time for the Games, meaning he cannot be counted out in his bid to defend his title.

Other medal contenders include Samuel Maier, who took silver at the test event but hasn’t medalled since, Korea’s Jung Seunggi, and defending Olympic silver medalist Axel Jungk. Home hopes will rest on Amedeo Bagnis, an outside contender who took a surprise silver at the European Championships in January.

Writer’s Picks:

Gold: Matt Weston (GBR)

Silver: Yin Zheng (CHN)

Bronze: Christopher Grotheer (GER)

Preview – Women’s Individual Competition

Kim Meylemans became the first Belgian to win the overall World Cup title this season, medalling in all but one event, including bronze at the Olympic test event. Meylemans also claimed the European title and, as a result, arrives in Cortina as a co-favourite.

Jacqueline Pfeifer is likely to be the other gold contender. Pfeifer finished just behind Meylemans in the World Cup standings, but victories at both the season-opening Olympic test event and the season-closing race in Altenberg will give her plenty of confidence heading into the Games. Pfeifer can also count on slightly more Olympic experience than Meylemans, having won Olympic silver in 2018.

Defending Olympic champion Hannah Neise cannot be counted out to go back-to-back at the Olympics, but she has not finished on the podium since her silver at the Cortina test event.

Janine Flock will once again be a medal contender after taking two victories on the World Cup circuit this season, alongside a fourth-place finish at the test event. Flock also finished fourth at the 2018 Olympics after leading with one run to go – could 2026 be the year she finally gets that Olympic medal?

Another major medal contender is Tabitha Stoecker of Great Britain. Stoecker secured overall World Cup bronze this season and her strong starts could put pressure on the likes of Flock and Neise.

Had the Olympics Games taken place in 2025, defending Olympic bronze medalist Kimberly Bos would likely have entered as one of the favourites with World Cup and World Championship success last season. However, a difficult World Cup campaign with no podium finishes leaves her as an outside medal contender. 

Other athletes capable of challenging for medals include 2023 World Champion Susanne Kreher, 2024 World Champion Hallie Clarke and the Czech Republic’s Anna Fernstädt.

Writer’s Picks:

Gold: Jacqueline Pfeifer (GER)

Silver: Kim Meylemans (BEL)

Bronze: Janine Flock (AUT)

Preview – Mixed Team Event

Great Britain claimed the overall World Cup title, being the only nation to take wins in multiple races in the four-event season, including victory at the Olympic test event. The mixed team format incorporates a longer start section, meaning teams with stronger push athletes gain a greater advantage. Britain’s likely pairing of Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker, both regular top-three starters in individual competitions, will therefore come in as the favourites.

Germany finished second overall in the World Cup standings and also placed second at the test event, making them strong medal contenders. While comparatively slower starts may put them at an early disadvantage, their excellent gliding form should keep them firmly in the medal hunt.

Austria’s pairing of Janine Flock and Samuel Maier claimed bronze at the test event and will once again be in contention when they return to Cortina.

The USA duo of Mystique Ro and Austin Florian are among the fastest starters in the field and, after finishing third overall in the World Cup standings, will be pushing for an Olympic medal.

China’s likely pairing of Yin Zheng and Zhao Dan should also be considered contenders, having taken a surprise World Cup victory in St. Moritz.

Outside medal threats include the home team from Italy, as well as Great Britain’s and Germany’s second pairings.

Writer’s Picks:

Gold: Great Britain

Silver: Germany

Bronze: Austria

Schedule of Events (Local Time):

Thursday 12 Feb: 

Men’s heats one and two: 9:30–12:00

Friday 13 Feb:

Women’s heats one and two: 16:00–19:00

Men’s conclusion: heats three and four: 19:30–22:00

Saturday 14 Feb:

Women’s conclusion: heats three and four: 18:00–20:30

Sunday 15 Feb:

Mixed Team Event: 18:00–19:30

Header photo credit: flickr.com/photos/ibsfsliding