From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Israeli skeleton racer Jared Firestone finishes near bottom of pack in first 2 Olympic heats
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAmy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Israel’s Jared Firestone finishes his first heat in the men’s skeleton in 23rd and the second heat in 22nd out of 24 athletes at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The third and fourth heats, which will decide the medal rankings, will be held tomorrow night. Only the top 20 athletes compete in the fourth heat.
“I had a really great time today — officially an Olympian,” Firestone tells fans in a video message. “Looking forward to tomorrow and throwing down two really good runs, make everyone proud. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified by the International Olympic Committee after he refused to back down from his plan to wear a helmet bearing the faces of athletes killed in his country’s war with Russia, leaving only 24 competitors in the men’s skeleton race.
The Times of Israel Community.