“I’m at peace with it”: A chapter ends for skeleton pilot Jeff Bauer
March 25, 2026 — Tageblatt
By Chrëscht Beneké
The dream of the Olympic Games drove Jeff Bauer for all these years. His age was no obstacle – on the contrary: the ambitious athlete always focused on further improvement. While Jared Firestone, a competitor of similar strength for many years, narrowly qualified for the Games this year, finishing 39th, Bauer himself slipped to 85th in the world rankings. The 52-year-old is now hanging up his dream – but not his sled. 
At the North American Cup in Lake Placid on January 11, Jeff Bauer jumped on his sled for the last time in an international competition and finished 26th out of 31. Photo: John Bauer
Tageblatt: Another Olympic season has come to an end. How are you?
Jeff Bauer: I feel good. And I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved this season. It wasn’t enough to qualify for the Games, but I gave it my all. I’ve continued to improve this season, so I’m happy. This chapter is now coming to an end, but I’m at peace with it. I’ve accomplished a lot and learned a great deal. It was a great honor to be able to compete at this level.
So, you won’t be hurtling down the ice track on a skeleton anymore? Won’t you miss it?
Skeleton is simply a fantastic sport. And I live so close to the track in Park City that I’ll probably slide down it again at one of the occasional club races. But it was a huge experience to compete in the sport, especially for Luxembourg. I started playing sports in Luxembourg as a child and even played basketball for Luxembourg as a teenager. It was a big part of my life, and when we moved, it wasn’t easy.
For me, it was overwhelming to later reconnect with Luxembourg and my youth through skeleton. Working in teamwork with COSL and the federation on my Olympic qualification gave me a lot of energy to continue working hard for my dream. I will miss that. I will also miss the energy and support from other teams. I really enjoyed training hard and preparing intensively.
“I have achieved a lot and learned a great deal. It was a great honor for me to be able to compete at this level.” — Jeff Bauer
You say you’ve improved further. Was it the start, the equipment, your age, or what was the reason that it still wasn’t enough for your dream of the Games?
That’s hard to say. I was always a bit slower at the start, but you can still make it to the finish quickly. My start didn’t help, and neither did my body; it was a tough season. I had to retire with a pulled muscle on my home track in Park City, and I’d also gotten food poisoning in Lake Placid. That made things more difficult, but it wasn’t the main reason. The main factor was the incredibly strong competition this season, with more drivers in total. The strongest field ever. And everyone gave it their all.
What was it like to watch this on television?
Of course, I would have preferred to be there myself, but I know them all well and was rooting for everyone; I didn’t have a favorite. They’re friends and colleagues. I know the challenge of skeleton, and there’s a lot of mutual respect in our small community. You race against the track, not against each other.
What is the challenge, or how do you drive fast?
The mental and physical aspects must be connected. Staying calm on the sled and feeling it is essential for good steering. Then you have to maintain your body shape and aerodynamics, knowing exactly where and how to steer on the track. You need confidence and many repetitions to know the track well. You can’t see far ahead, so you need to feel the track, not just your eyes. You have to recognize your position and what you need to do by the pressure you feel. You only truly know a track when you can anticipate what you’re going to feel and steer accordingly. This involves two or three runs a day. It can easily take a week to learn a track.
Only two or three runs and a similar number of minutes per day. Perhaps even Luxembourgers simply don’t get more ice time?
No. It’s simply that the G-forces are so high that they drain an enormous amount of energy from the body. This isn’t a question of age. Some tracks are a bit softer, and it’s manageable there, but you usually regret it afterward if you try a third run. It becomes especially difficult for the neck muscles, and hardly anyone can ski well after that. That’s why I noted down all my impressions immediately after each run; you have to get the most out of every moment.
In 2018, Jeff Bauer had achieved the Olympic qualifying standard, but did not yet possess a Luxembourg passport. Photo: John Bauer
You achieved the Olympic qualifying standard in 2018, but didn’t yet have your passport. Does it hurt in retrospect to have missed out on your dream like that?
The 2018 season is a part of my journey, a good part. It shows that I had the skills for the Olympics, the necessary level. I just couldn’t go.
And now this journey is over. Did you already know that when you started in Lake Placid in January, and how did you feel?
I have a great video of it, filmed by my nephew. I only watched it two months later, though, and it was quite emotional (gulps). I was both happy and sad. Normally you start pretty much on your own, but several coaches and pilots came to see me. (Pause) That respect, even from the officials at the track, means a lot to me. I never made a big deal out of my age. But here, and also when I made it to the final in Korea in December, officials and teams said I had impressed them. This trip was like a gift, I’m so grateful. And to my family, too. My parents came with me to basketball games when I was a kid, and now they were here at many of the races and loved it.
Skeleton was first introduced to the Luxembourg Ice Sports Federation (FLSG) thanks to you, and before Covid, two students from Innsbruck also tried the sport. Will it continue?
I’m trying to help the association, but no one had inquired about it since 2020. Until this season, with six or seven athletes. One of them even participated in a camp in St. Moritz. Like me, he has dual nationality, played lacrosse for Luxembourg for several years, and I hope he and others stick with it. It was a lot of work to start a team, and it would be great if it continues.
About Jeff Bauer
The grandfather had fought in Luxembourg during World War II and moved to the Grand Duchy with his son for a few years in the 1950s. The son returned with his son in the early 1980s for another decade.
During this time, Jeff Bauer, born in 1973, played basketball for several years on the national junior team. An engineer living near Park City, he discovered his passion for skeleton later in life and, at the age of 45, was accepted into the COSL elite squad in early 2019.