Another athlete from Fairfax, Virgina, is Brandon Kim, who graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Kim is a short track speed skater who has won bronze at the 2017 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships. Short track speed skating is when athletes race on a small indoor oval at fast speeds in order to complete a certain number of laps in the least amount of time. Kim will compete Tuesday at 5:10 AM.
Competing in the newly introduced skeleton mixed team, Mystique Ro, is from Nokesville Virginia. Ro was a former track and field star running at Queens University in Charlotte, she transitioned into the skeleton after a college teammate introduced her to the sport. Skeleton is a high-speed winter sliding sport where athletes race head-first, face-down, on a small sled down an icy track. Athletes start with a sprint and steering with subtle body weight shifts to achieve the fastest time, showcasing immense courage and precision as they navigate turns at speeds over 90 mph. This year, the mixed skeleton team is newly introduced to the Olympics. It follows the same premise as the normal skeleton sport, but both a man and women from the same country slide down separately and their combined times determine the winner.
