Точка Синхронізації

Air Force Staff Sgt. Kelly Curtis, a knowledge operations technician with the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, announced her official preparations this week to compete in the skeleton event for Team USA at the upcoming 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. As a dual-career professional, Curtis is leveraging her experience as a world-class athlete and a dedicated service member to secure her second consecutive Olympic berth following her debut at the 2022 Beijing Games. Her journey represents a significant intersection of military service and elite international sports, highlighting the Department of Defense's World Class Athlete Program which allows service members to train for global competitions while maintaining their military duties. Currently stationed in Italy, Curtis finds herself in a unique geographical advantage, as she is training in the same country that will host the next Winter Games. Serving with the 31st Communications Squadron, her daily responsibilities involve managing critical information and operational data, a discipline she claims translates directly to the precision required in skeleton. The sport, which involves hurtling down an icy track head-first at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour, demands intense mental focus and physical resilience—traits reinforced by her Air Force training and technical background. Curtis’s path to the 2026 Games is built on a foundation of consistent performance on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup circuit. Since making history as the first Black athlete to represent US Skeleton at the Olympics in 2022, she has become a prominent figure in the sport. Her preparation for Milan Cortina involves a rigorous balancing act of military drills, physical conditioning, and technical track sessions, all supported by the Air Force’s commitment to fostering talent that showcases American excellence on the global stage. Looking forward to the 2026 event, the 31st Fighter Wing community at Aviano Air Base has rallied behind Curtis, viewing her as a symbol of the versatility of modern airmen. By competing in Italy, she will have the rare opportunity to perform in front of a local audience that includes her fellow service members and international peers. As the qualification cycle intensifies, Curtis remains focused on refining her start times and navigational steering to improve upon her previous Olympic ranking and chase a spot on the podium in Milan.