--- title: Winter Olympics 2018: Luge vs skeleton vs Bobsled Explained description: Luge, bobsled, and skeleton are the most dangerous sports at 2018 Winter Olympics. Find out how they're all different with this guide. canonical: https://time.com/5162408/winter-olympics-luge-vs-skeleton-vs-bobsled-explained/ author: Flora Carr article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-16T17:04:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-15T18:40:10.000Z og:title: Here's How Luge, Bobsled and Skeleton Are Different og:description: The sledding events are amongst the most dangerous at the Winter Olympics og:url: https://time.com/5162408/winter-olympics-luge-vs-skeleton-vs-bobsled-explained/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71956bbc8afac071/6989274d7cdbacc448d5bf01/emily-sweeney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5472 og:image:height: 3078 og:image:alt: Luge - Winter Olympics Day 3 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Luge, Bobsled and Skeleton Are Different twitter:description: The sledding events are amongst the most dangerous at the Winter Olympics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71956bbc8afac071/6989274d7cdbacc448d5bf01/emily-sweeney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How You Can Tell the Differences Between Luge, Bobsled and Skeleton > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Meet The Nigerian Bobsled Team Making History at the 2018 Olympics [Watch (HLS stream): Meet The Nigerian Bobsled Team Making History at the 2018 Olympics](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/E2cYJx3U.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2018-01-16. The Nigerian Women's Bobsled team will be the first bobsled team, male or female, from the continent of Africa to compete at the Winter Olympics._ by [Flora Carr](https://time.com/author/flora-carr/) ## Flora Carr Updated: Jan 15, 2026 6:40 PM UTCPublished: Feb 16, 2018 5:04 PM UTC Team USA Decides Which Game Of Thrones Character Should Sit On The Iron Throne by [Flora Carr](https://time.com/author/flora-carr/) ## Flora Carr Updated: Jan 15, 2026 6:40 PM UTCPublished: Feb 16, 2018 5:04 PM UTC For [Winter Games](http://time.com/winter-olympics-2018-photos/) rookies, the differences between the sledding events – luge, bobsled (or bobsleigh) and skeleton – can get blurry, just like a luger shooting past at 90 miles an hour. The sledding events, however, are amongst the most exciting and potentially dangerous sports in the Winter Olympics, the high speeds and risks undertaken by the competitors making the events compelling viewing for spectators and viewers at home. American luger [Emily Sweeney’s terrifying crash](http://time.com/5155298/emily-sweeney-luge-crash/) during the final heat at the Pyeongchang Winter Games on Tuesday, after which she was taken to hospital, showed just how quickly things can go wrong. > [](https://twitter.com/XTRA1360/status/963422433209233408) “If you are a luge athlete, you give your entire life to this sport,” American luger Chris Mazdzer, who refers to luging as “ultimate sledding”, [told CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/olympic-medalist-chris-mazdzer-sets-sights-on-financial-planning-career.html). And following [Mazdzer’s silver medal win in luge](http://time.com/5155200/chris-mazdzer-internet-reactions/) last Sunday, the first luge medal of any kind for Team USA, there’s never been a better time to get into sledding. Here’s what to know about the difference between the sledding disciplines: ## What is Luge?  Sascha Benecken and Toni Eggert of Germany celebrate during the doubles luge final at the 2018 Winter Olympics on February 14, 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea. Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images Sliding feet first down an icy track with only a helmet for protection, luging is not for the faint hearted. Participants, who can compete in singles and doubles, hurtle down the track against the clock at 90 miles an hour on sleds that weighs just 50 pounds. Competitors can only change direction by angling their bodies. Luge races are also one of the “most precisely timed sports” at the Games, timed to one thousandth of a second, according to the the [PyeongChang 2018](https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/sports/luge) official website. The sport debuted at the Olympics in 1964, and is noted for its dangerous reputation: at the 2010 Vancouver Games, a day before the competitions began, Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgia, was killed during a training run after flying off a track and crashing into a steel beam. Doubles luging, although as equally dangerous as the singles, can appear comic at first: two participants lie on the sled, with one on top of the other, as they navigate their way down the course. The mens’ doubles, won by Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt for the second time in a row, threatened to [break the internet](http://time.com/5158497/olympics-2018-doubles-luge-reactions-memes/). > [](https://twitter.com/JoshButler/status/963748243686371329) Mazdzer’s silver medal was Team USA’s first medal in the sport, although the sport has been [dominated by Germany](http://time.com/5143796/winter-olympic-medals-by-country-2018/) in recent games. ## What is Bobsled?  Dawid Kupczyk drives Poland's bobsled during Bobsleigh training. EMPICS Sport Featured in [the movie _Cool Runnings_](http://time.com/7967/jamaican-bobsled-team-theme-song/), bobsledders compete in teams at the Olympics. The start, as with most of the sledding events, is crucial – racers run alongside the sled, pushing the handles before jumping into the sled. It’s the fastest of the three sledding sports, an competitors can reach up to 125 miles per hour. The 2018 PyeongChang Games saw a series of firsts for the sport: [Nigeria’s first-ever bobsled team](http://time.com/5104583/watch-the-nigerian-bobsled-teams-olympic-journey/), and Jamaica’s first women’s bobsled team. The Jamaican women’s team followed in the footsteps of the [iconic men’s team](http://time.com/8274/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-jamaica-bobsled-last/), who debuted in 1988 on the winter stage (and inspired _Cool Runnings)._ However, their first Olympic contest hasn’t been without its share of drama. After the sudden departure of the team’s driver coach Sandra Kiriasis left the team without a sled, Jamaican beer company offered them a new sled. > [](https://twitter.com/RedStripeUSA/status/964169363854151680) The first bobsled event of the Games this year will be the two-man race, which [takes place Feb. 19](https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/results/en/bobsleigh/daily-schedule.htm). ## What is Skeleton?  Sungbin Yun of Korea celebrates winning the Men's Skeleton in Pyeongchang, South Koreaon Feb. 16, 2018. Richard Heathcote—Getty Images Just as its name suggests, skeleton is a frightening sport. As in luge, participants compete on a single flat sled. The difference is that they travel down the icy course headfirst, lying on their stomach. What makes the experience even scarier is that competitors stay aerodynamic by keeping their head down, their face barely an inch from the ice moving beneath them at 80 miles an hour. It’s been around since 1884, when it was first tried out at St Moritz, [according to CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/09/sport/winter-olympics-pyeongchang-2018-sport-by-sport-guide/index.html). It was first introduced at the 1928 Olympics, but the sport wasn’t fully integrated into the Olympics until 2002 when it was reintroduced, as it was previously considered too dangerous. Why is the sport called skeleton? There’s some disagreement about that, [according to the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation](http://www.ibsf.org/en/our-sports/skeleton-history). The name could be inspired by the skeleton-like shape of early sleds, or perhaps it’s an attempt at pronouncing “kjaelke,” the Norwegian word for “ice sled,” notes NBC Olympics. Sungbin Yun of Korea won gold in [Friday’s men’s competition](http://time.com/5162064/yun-sungbin-south-korea-skeleton-gold/), where Team Great Britain also won their first medal of the Games, when Dom Parsons hurtled to a dramatic bronze win. You can watch the women’s on Feb. 17\. The favourites include Germany’s Jacqueline Loelling and Tina Hermann -first and second in the women’s rankings respectively – and Great Britain’s defending gold medalist Lizzy Yarnold. ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:02] [ MUSIC ] [00:04] You [00:07] don't [00:09] even have to be in Nigeria to be confused as to why [00:12] three Nigerians, who live in Texas, are competing in [00:15] the sport of bobsled > We [00:22] had a barbecue lunch. She told me that she wanted to [00:25] create a bobsled team. I guess I'm a sporadic thinker [00:27] or I just make rash decisions, I don't know. But I was [00:30] like, " Sure ", and then afterwards, I was like [00:33] I need to call somebody else, I get like a [00:35] second, third or fourth opinion. Once she explained [00:39] that this is for a continent I was like yeah, it would be [00:42] absurd not to do it. And I was like My god I think [00:46] [ UNKNOWN ] just created a team Our team dynamic is [00:51] pretty unique Like work definitely, like the fun loving [00:54] group of women that it's very enjoyable being around [00:57] us Well at the same time, we definitely know how to get [00:59] to work. I wouldn't have to think about the idea of [01:02] doing it all over again with anyone else. The dynamic [01:05] works. Cool Running! Cool Running's [01:09] reference is just something we get all the time every [01:12] single day. I mean if I had a dollar For every time I got [01:15] that I would not mean to fundraise ever again, but it's [01:18] honorable it's beautiful, because here we are thirty [01:21] years later you know from when these men took this [01:24] little faith and just something so special and here [01:28] others are going to compare it to something of such [01:32] high stature like that's just it's an honor it. [ NOISE ] [01:34] [ MUSIC ] It's [01:42] difficult being the only person who knows anything [01:45] about the sport for an entire continent. The learning [01:48] curve was huge. The first thing I think we learned [01:50] [ UNKNOWN ] to hit this [ UNKNOWN ] on the may [01:51] flower which is just this wooden tool that we used to [01:54] help us [ UNKNOWN ] get the technique [ UNKNOWN ] [01:56] hitting the slide. We spent a lot of time in the weight [01:58] room and on the tractors working on speed and [02:01] strength, getting stronger and getting faster We're [02:02] used to [ UNKNOWN ] From track and field where we [02:04] just get on the track and do our thing for 30 seconds [02:06] max. But what Bob said, you're on the track almost like [02:09] a whole entire work day. I didn't think that I, thought [02:12] the sport would be so demanding in terms of [02:15] physically having to move this sled up, you know all of [02:19] the things that happen prior to actually getting into the [02:21] sled and Racing. [ NOISE ] Here we go. You're doing [02:24] stuff in cold weather, you're freezing, But eventually, [02:29] it got easier and easier, things just kinda started to [02:31] add up and click. And that's kind of how it is not when [02:35] it's just like hey, we've only been doing this for a year [02:37] and we're getting pretty good at it. [02:42] [ UNKNOWN ] [02:45] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [02:48] I was raised a Nigerian in the United States. Being [02:52] able to represent Nigeria has just been honorable, to [02:55] say the least. How many people can say that they're [02:58] going to the Olympics. One and two, putting a whole [03:02] continent on their back and making this happen. [03:05] Historically, you probably haven't seen a team from [03:07] Africa for a very realistic reasons. No [03:11] one is gonna associate a Sub- Saharan climate with ice [03:15] or snow. If they can see now and visualize the fact that [03:18] there are ways to do these things [ MUSIC ] My hope is [03:21] that the floodgates will open and people will take to [03:23] the sport and the sport will continue to grow. Amen. [03:29] Although this is for Nigeria on the actual [03:33] ballot, this is everything we represent. We represent [03:37] a community of women Strong women. We represent [03:41] United States, we represent Houston, we represent [03:43] Chicago, Dallas, Minnesota, all the places where we [03:46] have dedicated our lives to, or have been any way [03:49] shape of forum, a part of our growth. This is for them, [03:53] this is for you, this is for everyone. 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