Biomechanical Analysis of the Skeleton Events, a Case Study of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

In this study, the performance of top 25 skeleton athletes at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is analyzed, aiming to provide insights and recommendations for the training of this events. We examines the correlations between sled-push speed and speeds in different segments, and correlations between segmental speed and overall average speed. The analysis covers both male and female participants with different skill levels. The results show that sled-push speed and overall average speed are significantly correlated (rMale = 0.556, p = 0.000; rFemale = 0.221, p = 0.031). The correlation between the departure phase and other stages decreases along the distance. The speeds of Sec2, Sec3, Sec4, and Sec5 are highly correlated with overall average speed (rMale = 0.873, 0.930, 0.923, 0.833; rFemale = 0.881, 0.901, 0.881, 0.914). The speed gap among different-level athletes widens from Sec3. The initial stage has less influence on high-level athletes, who can maintain high acceleration in the later stages. These results show that both the starting and the cornering skills are the determining factors for skeleton event. In Yanqing track, the athletes have to demonstrate the capacity to sustain high acceleration in each stage, affording them a substantial advantage, especially in the curves with high difficulties.