Runners on luge sleds have curved bows at the front where riders place their calves. The front rider pulls on rings attached to pulleys that turn the front runners. Bobsleds have two sets of runners that make contact with the ice. The sleds for all the events sit on steel blades called runners. The more aerodynamic an athlete or team is, the greater the speed.Ī skeleton racer running with his sled at the start of a race.įans often miss the subtleties involved in turning and steering. While gravity pulls the athletes and their sleds downhill, they are constantly colliding with air particles that create a force called air drag, which pushes back on the athletes and sleds in a direction opposite to their velocity. So the difference between gold and a disappointing result comes not from gravity and potential energy, but from a fast start, being as aerodynamic as possible and taking the shortest path down the track. Even tiny mistakes made by the best athletes in the world can cost a medal.Īll the athletes start at the same height and go down the same track. The difference between the gold medal and silver medal in the men’s singles luge at the 2018 Winter Olympics was just 0.026 seconds. Final times are calculated by adding four runs together. Most tracks are around a mile long (1.6 km), and the athletes cover that distance in just under a minute. A luge racer lying on his back in an aerodynamic pose.
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