Bobsled at Milano Cortina 2026

Four People, One Sled, 150 Km/h, and Zero Margin for Error

The start matters more than you think. In bobsled, the first 50 meters — the push phase before athletes load into the sled — can determine the entire race. A tenth of a second gained at the top routinely translates to three-tenths by the bottom. When you see crews sprinting in their spiked shoes on ice before diving headfirst into a carbon-fiber missile, understand that those five explosive seconds are the product of years of sprint training.

Bobsled at Milano Cortina 2026 takes place at the Cortina Sliding Centre, a brand-new track built specifically for these Games in the Eugenio Monti complex. This marks the return of sliding sports to Cortina for the first time since the 1956 Olympics, and the track design promises to be fast, technical, and unforgiving.

The Events

There are four bobsled events in 2026: two-man, four-man, women’s monobob, and women’s two-woman bobsled. The monobob — where a single athlete pilots and pushes the sled alone using a standardized chassis — debuted in Beijing 2022 and returns here. Each event consists of four heats run over two days, with cumulative time deciding the medals.

The two-man and two-woman events feature a pilot and a brakeman (who also pushes at the start). Four-man is the marquee event: a pilot, a brakeman, and two pushers crammed into a sled that can reach 150 km/h (93 mph) while pulling up to 5 Gs in the turns.

Driving Matters More Than You Realize

Piloting a bobsled is one of the most specialized skills in all of sport. The pilot steers using a pair of D-rings connected to a pulley system that adjusts the front runners by millimeters. Finding the ideal racing line through 15-20 curves requires memorizing the track so thoroughly that reactions become instinctive — at those speeds, conscious thought is too slow.

New tracks are a great equalizer in bobsled. Crews that have logged thousands of runs on established tracks like St. Moritz or Altenberg don’t carry that advantage to Cortina. Everyone will be learning the Cortina Sliding Centre’s unique characteristics during the limited official training sessions, which puts a premium on adaptability and the pilot’s feel for ice.

Team USA’s Chances

The U.S. bobsled program enters 2026 with legitimate medal expectations. Kaillie Humphries, who won monobob gold for the U.S. in Beijing, is the most accomplished female bobsled athlete in Olympic history with golds for both Canada and the United States. If she competes in Cortina — she has navigated injury challenges — she’ll be the heavy favorite.

On the men’s side, Frank Del Duca has established himself as the top American pilot in two-man competition, posting World Cup podium finishes in the 2024-25 season. The four-man sled requires raw push power, and the U.S. pipeline of former track-and-field athletes feeding into the push ranks remains strong.

Germany is always the standard-bearer. Francesco Friedrich has dominated the sport for a decade, winning double gold in both PyeongChang and Beijing. He’ll be 35 in Cortina and gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive two-man title. If anyone can do it, he can — but age and the new track create uncertainty.

What to Watch For

Pay attention to heat-by-heat splits, especially in the lower sections of the track. A pilot who finds a better line through the final curves can make up significant time. Also, ice conditions change throughout the day — later start positions often race on softer, slower ice, which is why start order (determined by World Cup rankings) is itself a strategic factor.

Athletes to Watch

Kaillie Humphries (USA, Monobob / Two-Woman) — The three-time Olympic champion (two golds for Canada, one for the U.S.) is the most successful female bobsled pilot ever and the defending monobob gold medalist.

Francesco Friedrich (GER, Two-Man / Four-Man) — The German legend has won four consecutive Olympic golds (two-man and four-man in both 2018 and 2022) and seeks to become the first three-peat champion in two-man history.

Frank Del Duca (USA, Two-Man / Four-Man) — America’s top male pilot has delivered consistent World Cup results and enters his Olympic debut as the leading U.S. hope for a men’s bobsled medal.

Laura Nolte (GER, Two-Woman / Monobob) — The Beijing two-woman gold medalist has continued her rise with multiple World Cup wins, establishing herself as the woman to beat outside of Humphries.

Johannes Lochner (GER, Two-Man / Four-Man) — Friedrich’s German rival has closed the gap significantly, winning World Championship titles and providing a genuine two-horse race at the top of men’s bobsled.

Venue Spotlight

The Cortina Sliding Centre is a brand-new purpose-built track constructed for the 2026 Games in the Eugenio Monti sports complex, marking the return of sliding events to Cortina after 70 years. The track features a modern design with enhanced athlete safety measures and is expected to produce fast times thanks to its elevation profile and curve geometry. It will host bobsled, luge, and skeleton across the Games.