IBSF Skeleton World Cup PyeongChang: Five athletes to watch

The first International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup races in men’s and women’s skeleton will take place in PyeongChang on 16 and 17 November. The races will feature 32 men and 36 women from 24 nations and all continents.

Among the elite field of competitors are Olympic medallists, world champions and World Cup winners, meaning we should be in for another exciting season of skeleton racing.

Olympics.com profiles the top five skeleton athletes to watch for this weekend's races in the Republic of Korea.

Christopher Grotheer, Germany

Christopher Grotheer is unquestionably the top men's skeleton racer in the world at the moment.

The 32-year-old won Olympic gold at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (Germany's first ever in skeleton) and collected his third world title in the men's race at the 2024 championships in Winterberg in February earlier this year.

He 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.

Needless to say, this is a man in top form, and it's worth tuning in to the World Cup just to watch an athlete of Grotheer's calibre perform.

Hannah Neise, Germany

One day after Grotheer made history by winning Germany's first Olympic skeleton gold medal at Beijing 2022, his compatriot Hannah Neise added a second in the women's competition, earning the title of Germany's first female Olympic skeleton gold medallist.

What made Neise's win all the more impressive is that she fought back from 8th place after her first run to win the event - a rarity in a sport where a slow start typically puts an athlete outside of medal contention.

Neise won bronze at the 2024 World Championships earlier this year, though she did collect gold alongside Grotheer in the mixed team event. Earlier in February she won silver in the European Championships behind Kim Meylemans of Belgium.

She's currently in 9th place after two races in the Asian Cup, but regardless of her finish there, Neise has the championship-winning calibre that makes her worthy of watching for the World Cup this entire season.

Matt Weston, Great Britain

Matt Weston isn't an Olympic medallist yet, but if he keeps up his current form he would be among the favourites to podium at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

The 27-year-old finished in 15th on his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, but has since gone on to rack up the hardware, winning the 2023 World and European championships and earning 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.

Kim Meylemans, Belgium

Like Weston, Kim Meylemans appears primed to win her first Olympic medal at the Games in 2026.

The 28-year-old became the first Belgian skeleton European champion and first Belgian skeleton world championships medal winner in February this year, taking silver in the latter behind Hallie Clarke of Canada.

Meylemans finished 14th and 18th at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 respectively, but the Belgian has improved drastically since then and is just behind Nicole Rocha Silveira (her girlfriend, no less!) in the 2024 Asian Cup after two races.

Expect big things from Meylemans over the next 16 months.

Kimberley Bos, Netherlands

Kimberley Bos is another history maker in the sport of skeleton. She won bronze at Beijing 2022, becoming the first Dutch skeleton athlete to win an Olympic medal.

That medal followed on from a fantastic 2021/22 season in which Bos won European gold and the World Cup title.

She followed that up with silver at the 2023 World Championships and 2022/23 World Cup, before earning her second World Cup title in the 2023/24 campaign.

At 31 Bos is a veteran racer with a stacked trophy cabinet, but will surely be looking for more golds at the World Cup this season and the Milano Cortina Games in 2026.