"Men's four-person bobsledding made its Olympic debut in Chamonix, France, in 1924; women's two-person bobsledding didn't enter the Games until 2002 in Salt Lake City. Women's monobob arrived in 2022. While the earliest bobsleds were made of wood, the sport has been synonymous with steel for years, although in recent decades it has been replaced by carbon fiber, which provides greater lightness and strength."
"Each new technological development in the sport has come amid the constraints necessary to keep athletes safe, such as weight and sled sizes. The two-person bobsled can have a max length of 2.7 meters (about 8.9 feet) and a max weight of 390 kilograms (859.8 pounds), including crew. A four-person bobsled cannot exceed 630 kilograms (1,388.9 pounds), including bobbers, and 3.8 meters (12.47 feet) in length."
Olympic bobsled tracks exceed 1.5 kilometers and see runs near 145 km/h while athletes endure forces above 5g. Technology at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games aims to increase precision across push, driving, and braking phases. The sport's equipment evolved from wood to steel and now to carbon fiber for greater lightness and strength. Two- and four-person sleds face strict length and weight limits (2.7 m/390 kg and 3.8 m/630 kg respectively) to improve safety and equalize competition, particularly by limiting specialist push athletes. National programs with long traditions and focused innovation produce consistent success.
Read at WIRED
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