Austin Florian Sets Two Start Records During the First Day of Olympic Racing
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by Abby Slenker
CORTINA, ITALY (February 12, 2026) - Olympic Skeleton racing kicked off today with Heat 1 and Heat 2 of Men’s Skeleton. Representing Team USA in Men’s Skeleton are Dan Barefoot and Austin Florian, who both made their Olympic racing debuts this morning.
Florian set a Start Record in Heat 1 with a start time of 4.49s and then broke his own record in Heat 2 with a start time of 4.48s.
Going into the final two heats of competition tomorrow, February 13, Florian is sitting in 13th place with a two-run time of 1:53.54, and Barefoot is sitting in 19th place with a two-run time of 1:54.69.
Heat 3 of Men’s Skeleton will begin at 7:30pm CET and Heat 4 will begin at 9:05pm CET, with the medal ceremony directly following the end of the competition. Full results from today can be viewed here.
Women’s Skeleton will also begin tomorrow, with Heat 1 beginning at 4:00pm CET and Heat 2 beginning at 5:48pm CET. Representing Team USA in Women’s Skeleton will be Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro.
Curtis will be making her second Olympic appearance, having competed in the 2022 Olympics as well. The 36-year-old has been racing in the sport of skeleton since 2016 and was formerly a heptathlete and basketball player. The Princeton, NJ native and member of the U.S. Air Force has competed in two World Championships and has earned both a silver and bronze medal on the World Cup racing circuit.
Ro will be making her Olympic debut tomorrow. The reigning World Champion in Skeleton Mixed Team alongside Austin Florian (an event that will be making its Olympic debut on the 15th!), has two World Championship medals and nine World Cup medals under her belt going into her first Games. The 31-year-old Nokesville, VA native also competed as a heptathlete before transitioning to skeleton.
Fans can tune into the races on NBC or Peacock and can re-watch the races anytime on Peacock.
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About USA Bobsled & Skeleton: USA Bobsled & Skeleton (USABS) is the national governing body for bobsled and skeleton in the United States. USABS is responsible for the recruitment, development, training, and support of athletes from grassroots through elite international competition. For more information, visit USABS.com or follow the team’s journey on Instagram (@USABS), Facebook (USA Bobsled/Skeleton), and TikTok (@usabobsledskeleton).
