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Tageblatt article Nov 2025Tageblatt article Nov 2025

At the age of 52, Jeff Bauer still has one goal in mind: participation in the Winter Olympics. To be there in Italy in February, the Skeleton has invested a lot for a few months. Soon the decisive qualification phase will begin for the COSL elite athlete – and with it the hunt for points for Cortina d’Ampezzo.

In sports, age honestly plays a decisive role. The body begins around the 30th. Age, to lose performance: the maximum oxygen intake decreases, one slows down, the regeneration capacity decreases, and it is more difficult to build muscle mass – all scientifically proven. Jeff Bauer doesn’t care much about all this. At the age of 52, he continues to pursue a great goal: his first participation in the Winter Olympics.

But he cannot completely ignore the fact that his body breaks down. “I need longer to recover from long and intense workouts,” he says. “But I don’t see my age as a big disadvantage. I am mentally very strong through all my experience. This is crucial. I am mentally stable and also have a healthy dose of self-confidence.”

The Luxembourger living in the USA feels the biggest disadvantages especially at the start. “Compared to younger athletes, I have lost vivacity and speed. At the start, I have been neither faster nor slower for years.” The start is the biggest challenge for Bauer, who started skeletoning at the age of 38. “I’m training him really hard. The start is the biggest challenge for me.” After that it goes upside down and lying on the stomach at over 100 kilometers per hour down the ice channel.

Long way to Italy

Like many winter sports enthusiasts, Bauer has had only one goal in mind for months: the 2026 Olympics. On the newly built track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, he will participate in his first Olympic Games in February. He is aware that the qualifying path to Italy will be rocky. “Italy is not a dream for me, but a destination. I have the potential to qualify.”

Last year, Bauer ranked 53rd in the world rankings. “Four countries are ahead of me, which I have to overtake in order to participate in the Olympics. I believe that 45th place could be enough this year. So it’s doable.” Bauer had already managed the Olympic qualification for Pyeongchang in 2018, but a delay in the exhibition of his Luxembourg citizenship prevented him from participating.

For Cortina, Bauer now has a new coach at his side: Brett Bousquet, former physiotherapist of the NBA team Milwaukee Bucks. “He brings enormous experience and is also my neighbor. We have a close relationship. He knows my body – he already helped me with rehabilitation after my hip surgery in October 2023 – and knows exactly what I went through.

“I did more than usual”

Together, Bauer and the Canadian worked hard. “I’ve done more than usual. I feel very good.” In the middle of the season preparation, Bauer also spent a week in Luxembourg to complete his “Médico”. He spent the night and trained in the Coque, had meetings and met old friends from his childhood in Luxembourg.

Soon the decisive phase begins for Bauer: The races in Whistler and Park City are due, at the end of November they go to Korea for three weeks to train there and participate in four competitions. “We’ll see which races I’ll participate in. It’s about where I can get the most points.”

However, if Bauer qualified for Italy, he would not be the oldest winter Olympian. The Swedish curler Carl August Kronlund was the oldest participant in the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924 at the age of 58. Accordingly, Bauer would still have the chance to compete again in four years – even if Skeleton is certainly much more daring than curling

Physio from NBA makes Jeff Bauer fit for the Winter Olympics. A specialist from the Milwaukee Bucks supports the skeleton rider on his mission to Italy 2026. Luxemburger Wort Dec 2024

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You really have to be crazy to race down the ice channel on your stomach on a steel skeleton sled, gliding just a few centimeters above the ground, at 140 km/h. A sport for young people who are looking for the ultimate adrenaline rush. But a Luxembourg engineer with American roots also regularly ventures into the ice channel, except that Jeff Bauer is Knowing that he could achieve good results despite the pain, Bauer was drawn back to the ice rink. Until the pain became unbearable and sport was no longer an option. Only a rare operation was supposed to bring about improvement. "I found out about another type of hip replacement, 'hip resurfacing'. This operation is carried out in particular on professional athletes who suffer from hip osteoarthritis and want to return to sport. Andy Murray (tennis), Patrick Kane (ice hockey), Isaiah Thomas (basketball) are examples. This operation accounts for less than one percent of all hip replacement operations because the procedure is more difficult than a conventional hip prosthesis and requires a high degree of precision from the surgeon to ensure the operation is successful. In October 2023 it was my turn.” The operation was successful, but Bauer now began a long phase of full recovery. “One week after the operation with a specialist in Washington, I flew back home to Park City, and my physiotherapy began the next day,” Bauer says, delighted about a personal stroke of luck. “Brett Bousquet, the former physiotherapist for the NBA team Milwaukee Bucks, was assigned to me. Brett has already coached one of the best basketball players in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and has also challenged me very hard from day one.” The hard work has paid off, step by step Bauer has regained his old physical strength and even expanded the support team around him. “I still work with Brett every week, as well as with Robin Pieper, my trainer from Austria, and Monya Maleki, a physiotherapist with a ballet background. With Monya I do once a week, flexibility and hip strength exercises via video conference." Impressive comeback with a medal On November 10, Bauer then set off from Park City to Whistler for a two-week training camp. He finally wanted to know how well he could still do on the ice track. "Whistler is the fastest track in the world, where speeds of up to 140 km/h can be reached. It is also very technical and falls are common in turn six. I was therefore very nervous, but it seemed to me to be the best choice to get my feeling back," said Bauer, who took part in his first competition since the World Championships in St. Moritz and Celerina just two weeks later (November 28 and 29). "It was my first race at the North American Cup. I was so grateful that I could be there, because a year ago at this time I could barely walk. I had two good races. On the first day I finished seventh out of 15 and was very happy with that result, even though my second run wasn't so good. The next day I had two very good runs and finished fifth. In my last run my start time was the fastest since the 2019 World Championships in Whistler. I even received a medal at the awards ceremony for my fifth place. It was the first time I finished in the top six and got a medal," says the skeleton racer, who is back on the road to success. "I now plan to continue to take part in the North American tour and to now 51 years old. The COSL speed skater, who has already played basketball and American football in his sporting career and has gained experience in triathlon, has been tinkering with his skeleton sled for several years - in pursuit of the last hundredth of a second. Because the President of the Union Luxembourgeoise de Skeleton is the only athlete from the Grand Duchy who practices this high-speed sport at a professional level. And with ambitious goals: The path should lead to the XXV Olympic Winter Games around Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy. A path that was paved with many obstacles. "During the 2022/23 season, I had trained well and achieved some decent results, but I felt increasing pain in my hip with every race," began a long period of suffering for the athlete, who trains in Whistler, Canada. In February 2023, the athlete was finally diagnosed with fourth-degree arthrosis. "It was a moment of incredible sadness for me, because I thought my career was now over."Knowing that he could achieve good results despite the pain, Bauer was drawn back to the ice rink. Until the pain became unbearable and sport was no longer an option. Only a rare operation was supposed to bring about improvement. "I found out about another type of hip replacement, 'hip resurfacing'. This operation is carried out in particular on professional athletes who suffer from hip osteoarthritis and want to return to sport. Andy Murray (tennis), Patrick Kane (ice hockey), Isaiah Thomas (basketball) are examples. This operation accounts for less than one percent of all hip replacement operations because the procedure is more difficult than a conventional hip prosthesis and requires a high degree of precision from the surgeon to ensure the operation is successful. In October 2023 it was my turn.” The operation was successful, but Bauer now began a long phase of full recovery. “One week after the operation with a specialist in Washington, I flew back home to Park City, and my physiotherapy began the next day,” Bauer says, delighted about a personal stroke of luck. “Brett Bousquet, the former physiotherapist for the NBA team Milwaukee Bucks, was assigned to me. Brett has already coached one of the best basketball players in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and has also challenged me very hard from day one.” The hard work has paid off, step by step Bauer has regained his old physical strength and even expanded the support team around him. “I still work with Brett every week, as well as with Robin Pieper, my trainer from Austria, and Monya Maleki, a physiotherapist with a ballet background. With Monya I do once a week, flexibility and hip strength exercises via video conference." Impressive comeback with a medal On November 10, Bauer then set off from Park City to Whistler for a two-week training camp. He finally wanted to know how well he could still do on the ice track. "Whistler is the fastest track in the world, where speeds of up to 140 km/h can be reached. It is also very technical and falls are common in turn six. I was therefore very nervous, but it seemed to me to be the best choice to get my feeling back," said Bauer, who took part in his first competition since the World Championships in St. Moritz and Celerina just two weeks later (November 28 and 29). "It was my first race at the North American Cup. I was so grateful that I could be there, because a year ago at this time I could barely walk. I had two good races. On the first day I finished seventh out of 15 and was very happy with that result, even though my second run wasn't so good. The next day I had two very good runs and finished fifth. In my last run my start time was the fastest since the 2019 World Championships in Whistler. I even received a medal at the awards ceremony for my fifth place. It was the first time I finished in the top six and got a medal," says the skeleton racer, who is back on the road to success. "I now plan to continue to take part in the North American tour and to end the season with a World Cup race in Lillehammer," said Bauer, who finished seventh and eighth in the North American Cup last weekend and, at the age of 52, finally wants to fulfill his dream of playing in his first Olympic Winter Games.

Which Luxembourger has a chance to make the 2026 Olympics? Luxemburger Wort Dec 2024

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…Jeff Bauer, who also had to take a forced break after an operation on his hip, celebrated a remarkable success at the North America Cup in Whistler (CAN) on November 29. “It was my first race since January 2023. For the first time, I made it into the top six drivers (fifth place) and even got a medal for it. I was so proud when Luxembourg was called at the awards ceremony,” said the 51-year-old, who is on the right track.

“Jeff is an engineer and works hard on his sled and the runners,” Conzemius also believes the oldest candidate has a lot to offer. “The quotas are more difficult in skeleton than in alpine skiing. He has to get a place in the top 50 to be able to compete in Italy.” “I’m planning more starts in the North America Cup and want to end my season with a World Cup race in Lillehammer (N),” says Bauer, who has only one goal: to qualify for the Olympics. And why shouldn’t dreams come true even at an advanced age?…

 

North America Competition Park City Tageblatt Dec 2024

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Skeleton: Jeff Bauer overcomes injury.  Despite very poor starting times on Friday, he finished seventh and tenth overall in 2.41 seconds. On Saturday, he finished eighth and fifth overall in 2.09 seconds. This put him just 5/100 behind the young Canadian Josip Brusic, who is now third in this championship, just ahead of the Luxembourg skeleton pioneer. It was painful, but it worked out OK. The strain has time to heal until the next race in a month," said Bauer happily. (ChB) On his home course in Park City, USA, Jeff Bauer started the second race of the North American Championship and pulled his hamstring tendon in the starting sprint of the first run: During the second run I could only jog. The next day the tendon was hard and swollen, but I started anyway. Luckily I know the course well, know how to gain speed there and had also learned to start acceptably despite my injury." The 52-year-old was placed among 20 competitors.

Tageblatt Article December 2024 … a podium finish

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In use again JEFF BAUER 22 months after his 36th place at the World Championships in St. Moritz, but also over a year after his back operation, the still ambitious Jeff Bauer started a race with his skeleton again. In the double victory of the Austrian Florian Auer, he finished seventh out of 15 starters in the North American Championships on the first day, 4.21 seconds behind. On the second day, the 52-year-old was delighted with fifth place in 3.71 seconds: “That feels really good. Last year at this time I was on crutches and now I’m winning the first award for Luxembourg in the skeleton.” (ChB.)