how fast do olympic skeletons go

Olympic skeleton racers typically reach speeds of around 80–90 mph (about 130–145 km/h), with the very fastest runs approaching about 93 mph (150 km/h) on the quickest tracks.

Typical top speed

• In normal elite competition, skeleton athletes regularly hit more than 129 km/h (80 mph).

• Speeds over roughly 130 km/h (about 81 mph) are common on modern Olympic-level tracks.

Absolute record-type speeds

• A widely cited competition top speed is about 146.4 km/h (90.96 mph), recorded during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

• International and Olympic bodies note that, on the fastest tracks, skeleton sliders can reach “up to 150 km/h (over 93 mph).”

Why it feels so extreme

• Athletes go headfirst, lying face-down with their chin just a few centimeters above the ice, so even 80 mph feels intense.

• They can experience forces over 5 G while steering subtly with shoulder and hip movements at those speeds.

TL;DR: Olympic skeleton runs are usually in the 80–90 mph range, with the fastest recorded and theoretical race speeds just under or around 93 mph on the quickest tracks.