2024-25 IBSF Skeleton World Cup Yanqing: Preview, schedule and how to watch live

The Yanqing National Sliding Centre, host of the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge competitions during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, will welcome the world’s best skeleton athletes for the third round of the 2024-25 IBSF Skeleton World Cup on 23 November.

Nicknamed the “Flying Snow Dragon,” the track certainly isn’t to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, the world's top sliders will attempt to tame the icy beast, gliding down its daunting chutes and carving through its troublesome turns on their way to the finish line.

With a quick start, steady drive and level head a must to stand any chance of setting the quickest time, the third round of the 2024-25 IBSF Skeleton World Cup promises nothing short of thrilling racing and breathtaking action.

Read on to discover the key things you need to know about world cup racing at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre, including the schedule, key athletes to follow and how to watch competitions live from the mountain slopes of the People’s Republic of China.

World cup leaders look to hold slender leads

Germany’s Christopher Grotheer has proven himself a capable “dragon-rider” in years past, sliding to a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, before claiming victory once more during the last world cup race held at the Yanqing Sliding Center in 2023.

He enters the third round of the skeleton world cup undefeated this season, after back-to-back wins at the opening double-header in PyeongChang.

Grotheer will don the yellow bib, which denotes the current world cup leader, at the start of the men’s competition on Saturday 23 November. However, he’ll need to slide with speed and precision to hold off a skilled pair of British sliders and maintain his standing atop the world cup points table.

For their part, Great Britain’s Marcus Wyatt and Matt Weston will hope to find an extra gear in Yanqing. Weston will be especially eager to leapfrog Grotheer, as he attempts to regain control of the world cup points standings and defend the Crystal Globe he won last season.

The women’s competition promises an equally compelling battle, with current world cup leader Freya Tarbit looking to hold off the ever-consistent Janine Flock and maintain her grasp on the highly coveted yellow bib.

Her task will be made more difficult by a lack of experience at the Yanqing National Sliding Center, but it won’t be impossible if Tarbit slides with the same poise and control that saw her finish fourth and first during the season-opening double-header in PyeongChang.

However, her meager seven-point lead in the world cup standings will likely have Austria’s Janine Flock licking her lips in the start house at the Yanqing National Sliding Center.

Twice a winner of the IBSF Skeleton World Cup, Flock will rely on nearly two decades of sliding and past experience riding the Flying Snow Dragon to try and snag the yellow bib away from Tarbit.

The pair won’t be alone in the battle for world cup points, with Beijing 2022 gold medallist Hannah Neise and 2023-24 world cup champion Kimberley Bos looking to make up ground after a shaky start to the season.

Schedule of the 2024-25 IBSF Skeleton World Cup Yanqing

All times are local (UTC+8)

Saturday, 23 November

• 15:00 women's skeleton
• 19:00 men's skeleton

2024-25 IBSF Skeleton World Cup Yanqing: How to watch live

Catch all the action live on the IBSF website or YouTube channel, and stay updated with results and reactions on the IBSF Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms.