The first International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup races in men’s and women’s skeleton is set to take place in PyeongChang on 16 and 17 November. The competition will feature 32 men and 36 women from 24 nations across all continents.
The elite field at Skeleton World Cup 2024 in the competition includes Olympic medallists, world champions and World Cup winners, promising another exciting season of skeleton racing.
Here are five athletes to watch out for at Skeleton World Cup 2024-25:
Christopher Grotheer, Germany
Christopher Grotheer is one of the top contenders in men’s category at Skeleton World Cup 2024-25.
The 32-year-old won Olympic gold at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. He became the first man to give Germany its first ever Olympic gold in skeleton. He notched up his third world title in the men’s race at the 2024 championships in Winterberg in February earlier this year.
The German currently leads the Asian Cup standings by 40 points after winning the first two races of the meet, with the final two events scheduled for 14 and 15 November.
Hannah Neise, Germany
Following Grotheer’s footsteps, his compatriot Hannah Neise won a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and becoming the first German woman to become an Olympic skeleton gold medallist.
Neise won bronze at the 2024 World Championships earlier this year, won gold alongside Grotheer in the mixed team event. Earlier in February she bagged silver in the European Championships behind Kim Meylemans of Belgium.
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She’s currently in 9th place after two races in the Asian Cup, but regardless of her finish there, Neise’s championship winning abilities makes an athlete to watch out for at Skeleton World Cup 2024-25.
Matt Weston, Great Britain
Matt Weston won the 2023 World and European championships and collected silver in both events at the 2024 editions. He’s also the defending IBSF World Cup champion following a phenomenal 2023-24 campaign where he finished in the top 3 in four of the eight races.
The 27-year-old still haven’t achieved an Olympic medal but if he extends his current form, Weston might do so at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Kim Meylemans, Belgium
Kim Meylemans became the first Belgian skeleton European champion and first from her country to win a medal in skeleton world championships when she collected a silver early this February this year.
Meylemans finished 14th and 18th at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 respectively, but has improved significantly to be just behind Nicole Rocha Silveira in the 2024 Asian Cup after two races.
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Kimberley Bos, Netherlands
Kimberley Bos won bronze at Beijing 2022, becoming the first Dutch skeleton athlete to win an Olympic medal. Bos won European gold and the World Cup title in the 2021-22 season.
She followed that up with silver at the 2023 World Championships and 2022-23 Skeleton World Cup, before earning her second World Cup title in the 2023-24 campaign. She could add another crown at Skeleton World Cup 2024-25.
