Olympic bobsled is a high-speed winter sport where teams of two or four athletes race down an ice track in a specially designed sled. The goal is to complete the course in the shortest possible time, with speed generated by an initial sprint push and maintained through precise steering and aerodynamic efficiency. Bobsled requires a combination of strength, speed and technical skill, making it one of the most thrilling events in the Winter Olympics.
Bobsled made its Olympic debut at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games Chamonix 1924. The first competition featured the four-man event, with the two-man event introduced at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932. Women's bobsled was later added to the program at the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002. The inclusion of bobsled racing in the Olympics was driven by its popularity in European winter sports culture and its longstanding presence in international competitions.
Team USA has a storied history in Olympic bobsled, dating back to its debut at the inaugural Winter Games. The U.S. secured its first Olympic bobsled gold medal in 1932 and has remained a strong competitor, earning multiple podium finishes over the years.
One of the athletes who competed at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932 was Eddie Eagan, a boxing gold medal Olympian. He took a break from boxing and joined the U.S. Olympic bobsled team shortly before the Games. His first and only Olympic bobsled competition resulted in an Olympic gold medal.
Vonetta Flowers and partner Jill Bakken competed in Salt Lake City 2002 and won gold, with Vonetta making history as the first Black athlete to ever win an Olympic Winter gold medal.
In recent Games, Team USA has continued to be a dominant force, thanks to world-class athletes and cutting-edge training programs.
Olympic bobsled features multiple events distinguished by team size. The two-man bobsled consists of a pilot and a brakeman navigating the course, while the four-man bobsled includes a pilot, brakeman and two push athletes working together to maximize speed. Women’s monobob, introduced at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, is a single-athlete event designed to enhance gender inclusion in the sport. Each event consists of multiple timed runs, with final standings determined by cumulative times. Success in bobsled relies on the sled’s aerodynamic design and the athletes’ ability to generate speed at the start.
Follow along the bobsled athletes' road to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Check out all the events Team USA athletes will be competing in on the road to Milano Cortina 2026.
| name | sport | Education | hometown | age | Medals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hakeem Abdul-Saboor Olympian 2018, 2022 Sport: Bobsled Education: University of Virginia at Wise Hometown: Powhatan, VA Age: 37 | Bobsled | University of Virginia at Wise | Powhatan, VA | 37 | |||||
 | Bobsled | NC A&T State University | Reidsville, NC | 39 | |||||
 | Bobsled | Evanston, IL | 38 | ||||||
 Emily Azevedo Olympian 2010 Sport: Bobsled Education: University of California Davis '05, Exercise Biology Hometown: Chico, CA Age: 42 | Bobsled | University of California Davis '05, Exercise Biology | Chico, CA | 42 | |||||
 | Bobsled | 59 | |||||||
 | Bobsled | Whitehall, NY | 31 | ||||||
 | Bobsled | Altona, NY | 26 | ||||||
 Cory Butner Olympian 2014 Sport: Bobsled Education: UC Riverside '05, Statistics Hometown: Yucaipa, CA Age: 44 | Bobsled | UC Riverside '05, Statistics | Yucaipa, CA | 44 | |||||
 | Bobsled | Queens, NY | 45 | ||||||
 David Christopher Sport: Bobsled | Bobsled | ||||||||
Bobsleds are made from lightweight yet durable materials like fiberglass and steel. They feature precision-engineered runners and aerodynamic shapes to minimize drag and maximize speed.
Olympic bobsled races take place on an ice track with high-banked curves and long straightaways. Tracks vary in length but typically span 1,200 to 1,500 meters, with speeds reaching over 90 mph.
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