World Cup Skeleton racing returns to the Utah Olympic Park

Skeleton slider under the jumbotron in curve 14 at the Utah Olympic Park's IBSF World Cup. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Thursday, December 1, was day one of the BMW Skeleton World Cup put on by the International Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation (IBSF). Frasier Bullock, Vice President of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics, was on hand at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) to watch the competition.

His presence punctuated the UOP’s world stage weekend. Bullock, the President and C.E.O. of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said exclusively to TownLift, “It’s so exciting to have the World Cups back again here in Utah. It just gets your blood flowing about the perfect prospect of Salt Lake City and Park City hosting future Olympic Games.”

He has a special reverence for this specific sliding sport discipline since he’s slid skeleton himself on three occasions.

The UOP is one of three holdovers venues built for the 2002 Games, along with Soldier Hollow and the Olympic Oval, managed by the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (UOLF). Modernized and maintained, the UOP has an expansion making it an exception to global realities whereby venues sometimes succumb to deterioration and dereliction following the Olympics. 

The speedy ice conditions allowed athletes on this first day to post a new track record.

Results:

Women:

1. CAN, Mirela Rahneva, 1:38.42
2. GER, Tina Hermann, 1:38.52 (+0.10)
3. GBR, Laura Deas, 1:38.55 (+0.13)

American women finished 5th, 9th, and 12th.

Men:

1. GER, Christopher Grothier, 1:36.26
2. KOR, Seunggi Jung, , 1:36.43 (+0.17)
3. GBR, Marcus Wyatt, 1:36.63 (+0.37)

American Austin Florian finished in sixth place.

Beijing 2022 Olympian skeleton slider Andrew Blaser of the United States Bobsled Skeleton Federation (USABS) grew up in Southern Idaho and calls Park City his home track. He finished 11th in the Park City competition. Blaser recently joined the Athlete Advisory Committee.

Women’s World Cup Park City Skeleton Participating Nations:

• Canada
• Puerto Rico
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Brazil
• Great Britain
• Nederlands
• Australia
• Austria
• China

Additional Men’s World Cup Park City Skeleton Participating Nations:

• Korea
• Ukraine 

Day two, Friday, December 2, schedule:

Hospitality Tent, Food Truck, Hot Chocolate, Beer Garden 

• 9:30 a.m. Women’s Monobob race
• 2:30 p.m. 2-person Bobsled race

Spectating is free.