Meet the first Black skeleton athlete to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics |
Meet the first Black skeleton athlete to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics
National Public Radio
2022-02-10
Jaclyn Diaz, Reporter
IBSF
BEIJING — Skeleton is a heart-racing, adrenaline-fueled event where a single racer flies face-first down a frozen track, sometimes going more than 80 mph, belly-down on a sled.
Kelly Curtis is quick to acknowledge this sport is “crazy.” That doesn’t make her love it any less.
The event has been a mainstay at the Winter Games since 2002. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, just three Americans will compete for a medal — and Curtis is one of them.
As soon as Curtis shot herself down a topsy-turvy track in Beijing on Friday, she made history.
Curtis is the first Black athlete, man or woman, to represent the U.S. at the Olympics in skeleton. The 33-year-old is also the only member of the U.S. Air Force at this year’s Winter Games.
Curtis joins a small group of Black athletes competing for the U.S. at the Beijing Olympics…
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Tags: 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jaclyn Diaz, Kelly Curtis, National Public Radio, NPR, sports, U.S. Air Force, United States Air Force, XXIV Olympic Winter Games