The U.S. has not won a skeleton medal since the sport was reintroduced to the Olympics in 2002, but it’s sending a team that could yield men’s and women’s podium finishers in Sochi.
The team was announced Saturday, and it included the names everyone expected:
Women
Noelle Pikus-Pace — 2010 Olympian
Katie Uhlaender — 2006, 2010 Olympian
Men
Matt Antoine
John Daly — 2010 Olympian
Kyle Tress
Noelle Pikus-Pace is the best U.S. hope for a skeleton gold medal. She has won three of seven World Cup races this season, her second campaign since coming out of retirement after finishing fourth at the 2010 Olympics. Pikus-Pice has two children, Lacee and Traycen, is the 2007 World Champion and 2013 World Championships silver medalist. She is thought to be vying for Olympic gold with Great Britain’s Lizzy Yarnold.
Katie Uhlaender finished 11th at the 2010 Olympics, won the 2012 World Championship and then attempted to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team in weightlifting. She ranks 14th in the World Cup this season, which has been plagued by effects of a preseason concussion from a crash. She is the daughter of former MLB outfielder Ted Uhlaender, who died one year before the Vancouver Olympics.
Matt Antoine won his first career World Cup race this season among three podium finishes in seven races. He can win a medal in his first Olympics, four years after being the best U.S. skeleton slider not to make the Olympic Team.
John Daly ranks ninth in the world this year, just as he was last year. Daly was 17th at his first Olympics in 2010 and is the co-star of the YouTube hit series Your Daly Nitro with U.S. bobsledder Steve Langton. He is a former college decathlete and BMX racer.
Kyle Tress is 11th in the world this year, writes books and was an extra in “CSI: New York,” one of the “Transformers” films and “Gossip Girl.” He also co-founded SledBox Interactive, a software development company.
