Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics
Governing body	IBSF
Events	4 (men: 2; women: 2)
Games
1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
Medalists

Bobsleigh is an exciting event in the Winter Olympic Games. Teams of two or four people drive a special sled down a super-fast ice track. The team that finishes the course in the quickest time wins!

This thrilling sport has been part of almost every Winter Olympics since the very first one in 1924. That first game was held in Chamonix, France. The only time bobsleigh wasn't included was in the 1960 games in Squaw Valley. The organizers decided not to build a track to save money.

The four-man bobsleigh race has been in almost every game. In 1928, it was even a five-man competition! The two-man event joined the Olympics in 1932 at the Lake Placid games. A two-woman event was added much later, first appearing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Bobsleigh Events at the Olympics

Bobsleigh has grown over the years, adding more exciting events for athletes to compete in. Here's a look at when each type of bobsleigh race has been part of the Winter Olympics:

The "•" symbol means that event was held in that specific Olympic year.

Top Bobsleigh Athletes

Some athletes have won many medals in bobsleigh at the Olympics. Here are some of the most successful bobsledders.

Kevin Kuske (left) and André Lange (pilot) are two of the most successful Olympic bobsledders. They both have five medals, including four gold medals won in three Olympics in a row!

Bogdan Musiol (brakeman) won seven Olympic medals. He earned one gold, five silver, and one bronze medal in four Olympics in a row.

Athletes who have won multiple medals, including at least one gold, are listed below.

Men's Medal Leaders

Athlete	Country	Event	Olympics	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Kuske, KevinKevin Kuske	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	2002–2018	4	2	0	6
Lange, AndréAndré Lange	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	2002–2010	4	1	0	5
Friedrich, FrancescoFrancesco Friedrich	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	2018-2022	4	0	0	4
Margis, ThorstenThorsten Margis	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	2018-2022	4	0	0	4
Germeshausen, BernhardBernhard Germeshausen	East Germany (GDR)	4-man 2-man	1976–1980	3	1	0	4
Nehmer, MeinhardMeinhard Nehmer	East Germany (GDR)	4-man 2-man	1976–1980	3	0	1	4
Hoppe, WolfgangWolfgang Hoppe	East Germany (GDR)  Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	1984–1994	2	3	1	6
Monti, EugenioEugenio Monti	Italy (ITA)	4-man 2-man	1956, 1964–1968	2	2	2	6
Acklin, DonatDonat Acklin	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1992–1994	2	1	1	4
Weder, GustavGustav Weder	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1992–1994	2	1	1	4
Zimmermann, MarkusMarkus Zimmermann	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	1992–2002	2	1	1	4
Schauerhammer, DietmarDietmar Schauerhammer	East Germany (GDR)	4-man 2-man	1984–1988	2	1	0	3
Langen, ChristophChristoph Langen	Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	1992, 1998–2002	2	0	2	4
Bauer, CandyCandy Bauer	Germany (GER)	4-man	2018-2022	2	0	0	2
De Paolis, LucianoLuciano De Paolis	Italy (ITA)	4-man 2-man	1968	2	0	0	2
Fiske, BillyBilly Fiske	United States (USA)	4-man 5-man	1928–1932	2	0	0	2
Gray, CliffordClifford Gray	United States (USA)	4-man 5-man	1928–1932	2	0	0	2
Hampel, OlafOlaf Hampel	Germany (GER)	4-man	1994–1998	2	0	0	2
Nieberl, LorenzLorenz Nieberl	West Germany (FRG)	4-man 2-man	1952	2	0	0	2
Ostler, AndreasAndreas Ostler	West Germany (FRG)	4-man 2-man	1952	2	0	0	2
Musiol, BogdanBogdan Musiol	East Germany (GDR)  Germany (GER)	4-man 2-man	1980–1992	1	5	1	7
Benz, JosephJoseph Benz	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1976–1980	1	2	1	4
Lehmann, BernhardBernhard Lehmann	East Germany (GDR)	4-man 2-man	1976, 1984–1988	1	2	1	4
Schärer, ErichErich Schärer	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1976–1980	1	2	1	4
Steven Holcomb	United States (USA)	4-man 2-man	2010–2014	1	2	0	3
Martin, PatrickPatrick Martin	United States (USA)	4-man 2-man	1948–1952	1	2	0	3
Zimmerer, WolfgangWolfgang Zimmerer	West Germany (FRG)	4-man 2-man	1972–1976	1	1	2	4
Beerli, JosephJoseph Beerli	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1936	1	1	0	2
Gerhardt, Hans-JürgenHans-Jürgen Gerhardt	East Germany (GDR)	4-man 2-man	1980	1	1	0	2
Lueders, PierrePierre Lueders	Canada (CAN)	2-man	1994–2006	1	1	0	2
Meier, KurtKurt Meier	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man	1988–1994	1	1	0	2
O'Brien, JayJay O'Brien	United States (USA)	4-man 5-man	1928–1932	1	1	0	2
Putze, MartinMartin Putze	Germany (GER)	4-man	2006–2010	1	1	0	2
Tomasevicz, CurtisCurtis Tomasevicz	United States (USA)	4-man	2010–2014	1	1	0	2
Hefti, BeatBeat Hefti	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	2002–2016, 2014	1	0	3	4
Melbārdis, OskarsOskars Melbārdis	Latvia (LAT)	4-man 2-man	2014–2018	1	0	2	3
Utzschneider, PeterPeter Utzschneider	West Germany (FRG)	4-man 2-man	1972–1976	1	0	2	3
Wicki, JeanJean Wicki	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1968–1972	1	0	2	3
Embach, CarstenCarsten Embach	Germany (GER)	4-man	1994–2002	1	0	1	2
Hubacher, EdyEdy Hubacher	Switzerland (SUI)	4-man 2-man	1972	1	0	1	2
Huber, GüntherGünther Huber	Italy (ITA)	2-man	1994–1998	1	0	1	2
Ķipurs, JānisJānis Ķipurs	Soviet Union (URS)	4-man 2-man	1988	1	0	1	2
Kirchner, AndreasAndreas Kirchner	East Germany (GDR)	4-man	1980–1984	1	0	1	2
Koslov, VladimirVladimir Koslov	Soviet Union (URS)	4-man 2-man	1988	1	0	1	2
Kripps, JustinJustin Kripps	Canada (CAN)	4-man 2-man	2018–2022	1	0	1	2
Strenga, JānisJānis Strenga	Latvia (LAT)	4-man 2-man	2014–2018	1	0	1	2
Wetzig, RolandRoland Wetzig	East Germany (GDR)	4-man	1980–1984	1	0	1	2

Women's Medal Leaders

Athlete	Country	Event	Olympics	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Humphries, KaillieKaillie Humphries	Canada (CAN)  United States (USA)	2-woman	2010–2022	3	0	1	4
Moyse, HeatherHeather Moyse	Canada (CAN)	2-woman	2010–2014	2	0	0	2
Kiriasis, SandraSandra Kiriasis	Germany (GER)	2-woman	2002–2010	1	1	0	2
Jamanka, MariamaMariama Jamanka	Germany (GER)	2-woman	2018–2022	1	1	0	2

Elana Meyers Taylor from the United States has won more Olympic bobsleigh medals than any other woman. She has five medals in total: three silver and two bronze, from 2010 through 2022. She is still aiming for a gold medal!

Olympic Bobsleigh Medal Count by Country

This table shows which countries have won the most medals in bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics. The information is up-to-date as of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Germany (GER)	16	9	7	32
2	Switzerland (SUI)	10	10	11	31
3	United States (USA)	8	11	9	28
4	East Germany (GDR)	5	5	3	13
5	Canada (CAN)	5	2	4	11
6	Italy (ITA)	4	4	4	12
7	West Germany (FRG)	1	3	2	6
8	Austria (AUT)	1	2	0	3
9	Great Britain (GBR)	1	1	3	5
10	Latvia (LAT)	1	0	2	3
	Soviet Union (URS)	1	0	2	3
12	Belgium (BEL)	0	1	1	2
	Russia (RUS)	0	1	1	2
14	South Korea (KOR)	0	1	0	1
15	France (FRA)	0	0	1	1
	Romania (ROU)	0	0	1	1
Totals (16 entries)		53	50	51	154

See also

In Spanish: Bobsleigh en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of Olympic venues in bobsleigh