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Clarkson Alum Austin Florian to Compete in Skeleton at 2026 Winter Olympics

By: - Story by Tommy Szarka
FlorianOlympicGraphic

Alpine Ski | 1/22/2026 5:08:00 PM

Unlike the Olympic hopes of the current and former Clarkson University Men's and Women's Hockey players participating in this year's 2026 games, Austin Florian's dreams of representing his country in the Winter Olympics came a bit later in life. So much so, that the sport in which he will be pursuing a medal wasn't even on his radar until his senior year in college.

Florian was a standout skier for the Golden Knights' Alpine Ski team from 2013-2016, earning MacConnell Division All-Star status three times and taking as high as fourth in the individual standings in his sophomore year. As a senior he placed 19th out of 101 skiers in the slalom and 21st out of 101 skiers in the giant slalom at the USCSA National Championships, earning USCSA All-American honors for his combined efforts in the events that week at Whiteface Mountain.

But Alpine Skiing is not the event in which Florian will compete this February for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the XXV Winter Games. Instead Florian competes in the Skeleton, an endeavor in which competitors go head first down a tube-like track at speeds that would get you a ticket from law enforcement on major highways in every state in America. One lies prone on their chest as they zoom down the track on a sled somewhere between the sizes of a body board and a lunch tray. Competitors control their movement on the track with subtle body movements.

Get a feel for Skeleton racing with Austin Florian in this YouTube short from Park City, UT

Florian was introduced to the sport, almost rudely some could say, prior to his senior year at Clarkson while in Lake Placid.

"They put you on the sled and they kick you off like 'A Christmas Story,' like Santa kicking him down the slide," Florian said in an interview with his local NBC affiliate in early January.

See the full interview on YouTube

Not necessarily a glutton for punishment, but more an athlete with an insatiable desire for speed and to push himself to the limits, Florian took to the sport quickly, rising through the rankings of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF). Since he joined the IBSF, Florian has frequently been among the best in the event for the United States, but he missed out on the Olympics in 2022 when the quota for the USA was limited to only one male. This year, he is one of two men and four total Olympians to race in Skeleton from the United States that qualified thanks to their rankings on the IBSF list. Florian was 13th in the world with 880 points through the first seven races.

A manufacturing engineer by day for Kamatics in Bloomfield, CT, that position with the company has helped fund his career in Skeleton in more ways than one.

"I'd say that being an engineer is both helpful and a detriment at times," Florian said via email. "I have built my own sled before and do try and develop new pieces of equipment to gain every edge I can. So being able to design and build my own equipment has been a helpful part of understanding the sport. However, at the same time, it's also important to not get too far into the weeds of equipment where I can still focus on training my push and focusing on driving the sled."

Florian has enjoyed success as an individual and during mixed races where he competes with a female partner, having reached the podium on several occasions, including a victory in the Mixed Skeleton World Championship alongside Mystique Ro in March 2025 while competing in Mount Van Hoevenberg near Lake Placid, NY. His potential partner eyeing for a medal in Italy is still up in the air, as the choice can be made after the individual races. Ro and Kelly Curtis, his partner at the IBSF World Cup in Altenberg, Germany in mid-January, are the two women joining Florian in Italy, who is also accompanied by Dan Barefoot as Team USA's fourth member of the Skeleton contingent.

Austin Florian and Mystique Ro reaction to winning 2025 Mixed Skeleton World Championship

"That's the cool part of the event," Florian said. "We can pick the team after the individual races so we can determine who would likely be the best teammate to race with to make the fastest possible combination."

Austin Florian and Kelly Curtis compete at IBSF World Cup January 16, 2026 (34:00-38:00 time stamp)

The Cortina track is brand new, according to Florian, and so far he has had roughly 35 runs on it during a test event in November. He and his teammates will have about 10 more looks at the track before the events in February.

Florian is not taking this opportunity for granted, and neither are his friends and family. According to both Austin and his father, Sean, the Florian bandwagon should have around 50 people in attendance cheering him on, which includes both his family as well as the men's alpine ski team's Class of 2016. As for what he hopes to take away from this experience, Florian is leaving that up to the cosmos.

"You never know what it will be, but I intend to make the most of this and have as much fun as possible while being the best competitor I can be," Florian said. "I want to make the most out of this experience that I can!"

To follow Austin Florian's experience at the Olympics, please check the schedule here. 


 
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