What is the female-only Olympic monobob event that will feature at Milano Cortina 2026?
Making its second showing at the Olympics, monobob is an individual version of bobsleigh that has increased female participation in the sport since Beijing 2022. Read on to learn what's different about monobob, who the sport's big names are and what the competition schedule will look like when it begins on 15 February at Milano Cortina 2026.
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Named after the Greek word ‘mónos’ (single), monobob increased female participation in Olympic bobsleigh, joining the two-woman competition on the Olympic programme at Beijing 2022. The men already competed in two events: four-man and two-man.
The competition was part of the programme of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lillehammer 2016, Lausanne 2020 and Gangwon 2024, with both genders participating.
At Beijing 2022, monobob had a successful Olympic debut with 20 participants, crowning American Kaillie Humphries as the first Olympic champion in the event.
Monobob was also a hit on TV, drawing 27.5 million viewers in the US, according to the IBSF (International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation).
Want to know what to expect from women's monobob at Milano Cortina 2026, who to watch out for and when the competition starts? Find out all you need to know below.
LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK - MARCH 09: (L-R) Bronze Medalist Elana Meyers Taylor of Team United States, Gold Medalist Kaysha Love of Team United States, and Silver Medalist Laura Nolte of Team Germany pose following the Women's Monobob Race Heat 4 on day four of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg on March 09, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
What is different about monobob?
While the teammates of bobsleigh divide among themselves the roles of pushing, driving and breaking, the monobob athlete has to do it all on her own, in a sled weighing at least 162 kg.
The challenge is the same for all, though. “The way monobob is set up, you have standardised sleds. So it comes down to you as an athlete and a driver and it gives you a true test. Winning isn’t down to souped-up equipment. We all have the same runners. We can see who is the top of the top,” Canadian Cynthia Appiah told Olympics.com in 2020.
Is competing alone a burden? Not to Appiah. “A huge plus of mono is that you are your own person. If you mess up, it is completely on you," she said.
Music | Beijing 2022 - Gold Medal - Bobsleigh Women's Monobob
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More diversity in bobsleigh
Women began competing in Olympic bobsleigh at Salt Lake City 2002, in the two-woman event. Twenty years later, monobob has given female bobsleigh athletes from several countries the chance to fight for more Olympic medals.
"The women before me have allowed this to happen and I want to make sure that continues for all future generations," said USA's Humphries, the first monobob Olympic gold medallist.
Some 25 athletes will compete in the Olympic monobob competition at Milano Cortina 2026, five more than at Beijing 2022.
Sliding Madness | Monobob with Camila and Nathan
Follow Camila Copain and Nathan Besnard from Team France in this Monobob chapter and final episode from the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020. From training, track walks, gym workouts, and all the preparation that these athletes need to go through. There is a bittersweet ending as Camila and Nathan finally ranked 5th and 4th in the competition despite all the hard work and effort, a medal place was out of reach during these Games.
Athletes to watch in the women’s monobob competition
North America dominated the podium in the inaugural Olympic monobob competition in Beijing 2022. Americans Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor won gold and silver respectively, with Canada’s Christine de Bruin securing the bronze.
On the road to Milano Cortina 2026, another American to watch is the 2025 world champion Kaysha Love, who finished ahead of Laura Nolte (GER), and Meyers Taylor at the 2025 Worlds in Lake Placid. Nolte is a two-time monobob world champion, having triumphed in 2023 and 2024.
In the 2024-2025 monobob world rankings, the bobsleigh powerhouse of Germany had Lisa Buckwitz and Nolte – both Olympic gold medallists in the 2-woman - in the first two spots, followed by Australia’s Bree Walker, and the USA’s Love and Meyers Taylor.
Buckwitz ended the season with three World Cup wins in 2024-2025, as well as one 2nd place finish and another three top 5 results. Nolte and Walker also showed consistency, staying in the top 5 in all races but one.
Other potential contenders include Debora Annen and Melanie Hasler from Switzerland, Romania’s Andreea Grecu, and Canada's Appiah.
Milano Cortina 2026 women’s monobob schedule
The women’s monobob competition will start with the first two heats on 15 February at 10:00 local time, at the Cortina Sliding Centre. The third and the decisive fourth heat will take place the following day, 16 February at 19:00 local time.