LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – With the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 just two weeks away, United States Bobsled and Skeleton athletes are singing the praises of a brand-new training facility that is contributing to the teams’ Olympic success.
The NY Olympic Regional Development Authority constructed a bobsled and skeleton push track that has enabled athletes in those sports the ability to practice propelling their sleds on ice, year-round. Training for this specific skill in the off-season creates the velocity that generates increased momentum to the bottom of the track.
For the first time in two years, an American team won a World Cup bronze medal. In Winterberg, Germany, Hunter Church’s four-man sled recorded the fastest push time in the second heat and piloted them to the podium. A week later in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Team Church also sprinted to the fastest push times in each heat.
This all bodes well for Team USA not only in Beijing, but in Milan/Cortina 2026. In the meantime, the new training facility is one part of the complete upgrade to all the Lake Placid Olympic venues. The two-time Olympic village is preparing to host the FISU World University Games in January 2023