# Fastest Olympic Sport?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 19, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150 "2006-02-19T02:22:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/1 "2006-02-19T02:22:04Z")

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Skiing v. Luge v. Skeleton v. Bobsled, Wiki implies Luge and Skeleton top speeds are similar (130 km), couldn’t find info on Bobsled or Skiing tho. Of course the course plays a role, but is there a conventional wisdom which of the above or others not listed have achieved the top speeds?

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/2 "2006-02-19T02:53:00Z")

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Bobsleds hit 130 km/h also. The 4-man going faster than the 2-man.

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**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/3 "2006-02-19T03:09:29Z")

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248,105 kilometers per hour (154.1653 miles per hour) – speed skiing, which if I recall correctly, was last in the Olympics in 1992.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/4 "2006-02-19T03:14:18Z")

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Speed skiing was only a demonstration sport. It never reached official status.

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**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/5 "2006-02-19T03:32:13Z")

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As far as the downhill category of ski racing goes, “Scott Macartney (Redmond, WA), reaching a top speed of 155.8 kilometers per hours (160 kph is 100 mph) on the lower part of the run, in 26th place.” (Lauberhorn Downhill this January [http://www.firsttracksonline.com/news/stories/113730119995262.shtm](http://www.firsttracksonline.com/news/stories/113730119995262.shtm) .)

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**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/6 "2006-02-19T03:40:22Z")

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Snot whipping off of spinning figure skaters probably hits warp 2.

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/7 "2006-02-19T04:18:54Z")

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They showed a graphic the other night that showed that the luge was the fastest in this Olympics. I don’t remember the rest.

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**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-olympic-sport/345150/8 "2006-02-19T08:03:09Z")

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> [@BobT](#):
>
> Speed skiing was only a demonstration sport. It never reached official status.

It was, in fact, pretty boring - at those speeds, the skiers couldn’t be expected to go through gates or turn or anything. It was like drag racing, only without the VROOM VROOMs and the possibility of an engine blowing up.

And, speed skiing was dangerous - collide with anything, as at least one skier did with a piece of snow prep equipment left too close to the course, and you’re dead. Boredom and death don’t make for much of an Olympic sport.