Austin Florian and Mystique Ro’s mixed-world-title chemistry, Kelly Curtis’ Beijing experience and Dan Barefoot’s last-minute North American Cup tear give the U.S. its most balanced skeleton medal threat since the 2014 Sochi podium.
USA Skeleton dropped its Milan Cortina roster Monday and the headline is continuity with a turbo boost: Austin Florian and Mystique Ro—the first U.S. mixed-gender world champions in the discipline—will chase individual hardware on Italian ice Feb. 12-15, joined by returning Olympian Kelly Curtis and breakout slider Dan Barefoot.
Why the four-sled slate matters
The U.S. hasn’t put two men and two women on an Olympic start list since Sochi 2014. The lock-in guarantees strategic flexibility: coaches can now burn one sled per heat on track-cutting slipstreams while the second athlete races for raw time, a luxury the program lacked in Beijing when the federation qualified only three sleds.
How the spots were earned
- Austin Florian: Top-8 average on the 2025-26 World Cup circuit plus reigning mixed world title points buffer.
- Mystique Ro: Clinched with a bronze in Winterberg and consistent top-10 finishes, ending the season ranked fifth overall.
- Kelly Curtis: Survived a three-way points dogfight with teammate Anna Rummel, using her 2022 Olympic race experience as a tie-breaker.
- Dan Barefoot: Trailed by 38 points at mid-season, then rattled off three North American Cup wins in six days at Lake Placid and Park City to leapfrog Matt Rogalski.
Uhlaender’s appeal denied, career likely over
Five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender appealed to the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation after Canadian sliders withdrew from the Jan. 11 Lake Placid NAC race, reducing points available. The IBSF ruled no protocol was breached, leaving Uhlaender three points shy and almost certainly ending her Olympic streak at five.
Track intel: Cortina’s Olympic curve set
The 1,435-meter Mt. Tofana run is the fastest on the IBSF calendar, with athletes topping 142 km/h into the dreaded “Labyrinth” section. Florian posted the third-quickest training time during a 2025 Europa Cup stop there, while Ro clocked the fastest women’s start record (5.37 sec) on the same visit—data points that now double as psychological ammo.
Medal probability heat map
- Women’s field: Germany’s Tina Hermann and Jacqueline Lölling remain favorites, but Ro’s 2025 world title proved she can win on non-German ice.
- Men’s field: China’s Yan Wengang and Germany’s Christopher Grotheer own the last two Olympic/World golds; Florian sits 0.12 sec off Grotheer’s 2025 Altenberg winning pace—within striking distance.
- Dark horse: Barefoot’s late-season velocity spike mirrors 2018 bronze medalist Nikita Tregubov, who also qualified through NAC dominance.
Schedule to circle
All times local (CET). Feb. 12: Men’s Run 1 & 2 (09:00/13:30); Feb. 13: Women’s Run 1 & 2 (09:00/13:30); Feb. 14: Men’s Run 3 & 4 (09:00/13:30); Feb. 15: Women’s Run 3 & 4 (09:00/13:30).
What’s next for US Skeleton
Expect the federation to announce sled-setups and coaching assignments within 72 hours. Look for Mike Rogalski (no relation to Matt) to steer Florian and Barefoot—he tuned the runners that delivered Noelle Pikus-Pace silver in 2014. Meanwhile, Ro and Curtis will likely share tech analyst Donna Weinbrecht, whose start-block tweaks have already shaved 0.08 sec off Ro’s 2024 splits.
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