44 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS BOB MARTIN (2); QUINN ROONEY/GETTY IMAGES (BOBSLED)
In the four-man bobsled,
the driver steers the sled.
So what about the other
people? Their job is to get
the sled up to speed by
pushing it at the start. There
is no way for the driver to make
the sled go faster; all he has at his
disposal is gravity as the sled picks up
speed as it goes down the course. Once the sled
is moving, the other three competitors need to
stay lowso they don’t introduce drag, which will
slow down the sled. They also have to remain
still to maintain the balance of the sled and make
it easier for the driver to control the line, which is
crucial to a fast run. It’s a fairly anonymous job,
but someone has to do it.
What do those
other three guys
who aren’t
steering do?
Bobsled
How fast are
they going?
The term “GOAT” gets tossed out so much these
days it’s losing meaning. For some people, however,
the “greatest of all time” honorific actually is within
reach. Mikaela Shiffrin is only 26 years old and will
be competing in just her third Olympics. But is sheIs Mikaela Shiffrin
her sport’s GOAT?
Alpine Skiing
Really fast! O.K., you want more of an answer than
Skills Competition.
Speed Skating