Kelly Curtis, the 1st US Black skeleton Olympian, blazes new trail

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For Kelly Curtis, representation absolutely matters.

And in her first Olympic appearance, she became a trailblazer.

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Curtis finished 21st in the women’s skeleton event, her run at the Beijing Games ending Saturday. The result isn’t why she’ll be remembered. Curtis was the first Black athlete to represent USA Skeleton at the Winter Olympics — and she hopes her presence at the Games will open more doors to her sport.

"It’s pretty important. It’s part of my identity, but it’s not the only thing that I lean on," Curtis said. "I would like to be known as one of the best sliders. It’s nice with a cherry on top to be known as the first Black Olympian for USA Skeleton, but I would also like to be one of the best. So that that’s really what I’m trying to progress toward every time I go out there and slide."

There are plenty of fascinating elements to Curtis’ story. She has an intense dislike for cold weather, which isn’t a great thing for someone who competes in a sport where she slides at 80 mph with only a thin sled separating her body from an icy chute. She had six wisdom teeth. She once tried to jump over a fence and broke both her arms. She needed a miracle finish just to qualify for this year's Olympics.

In Beijing, though, most of the questions she’s fielding are about race.

"Whether I wanted it or not, we’re here now," Curtis said. "I think there’ll be a lot more questions just because of my skin tone regarding that. And I didn’t expect to be in this position right now. But I’m just trying to embrace it all. ... This is the space I’ve always been in. It’s just more people are taking notice."