The Olympic bobsleigh includes the two-man, four-man and two-woman competition, the latter of which made its first appearance at this year's Winter Games. The men's events consist of four runs; the women's consist of two runs. All competitors' runs are timed to .01 seconds, and the team with the lowest total time over its runs wins the event.
THE BOBSLEIGH'S LEGACY
1880s: Bobsleigh racing on lumbersleds starts in Albany, NY.
1923: The Federation International de Bobsleigh et Tobagganing (FIBT), the bobsleigh's governing organization, is established.
1924: The four-man competition is held at the first Winter Olympics.
1932: The two-man bobsleigh competition debuts.
1928: The United States takes the bronze in the four-man competition.
1956: The last U.S. medal is won in the the four-man event in Italy.
2002: The first two-woman event is held at the Winter Games in Utah.
FAST FACTS
- The four-man bobsleigh first appeared at the inaugural Winter Olympics in 1924; the two-man appeared in 1932. The two-woman bobsleigh was for the first time this year and they won the gold.
- Each nation can enter two sleds in each of the three bobsleigh events.
- The crew typically pushes the bobsleigh to speeds of more than 25 mph in less than six seconds before official timing begins.
- The team pushes the sled with a "push bar" located on the side of the bobsleigh. The bar retracts when the race begins.
- Building a bobsleigh can cost as much as $35,000, while a set of runners can cost $5,000.
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