There are two bobsleigh events at 
the Olympics, two-man and four-
man.  Women do not compete in 
this event.  The four-man bobsleigh 
was introduced in the 1924 
Olympics; the two-man bob began 
in 1932.  There have been times, 
like in Squaw Valley in 1960, when 
the event was not held because 
the course was just too expensive 
to build. 

The sport debuted in Switzerland in 
the late 1880s.  In its early days, 
the bob was more of a traditional 
sled, with up to six riders lying on 
their stomachs and plunging down 
the hill head first.  Metal runners 
replaced wooden ones in 1932, 
and gradually, the sport evolved to 
what it is today -- competitors 
sitting up in a bobsleigh that looks 
like a sports car, or a rocket ship 
and attaining speeds of 90 mph.

Bobsleighing is a sport the 
Americans once excelled at, 
winning Gold in the 4-man Bob in 
1928, 1932 and 1948, and in the 2-
man Bob in 1932 and 1936.  The 
U.S. hasn't won a medal in either 
event since 1956.

The greatest bobsleigher in history 
was Italian Eugenio Monti, who 
won 11 world championships from 
1957 to 1968.  Monti may best be 
remembered, however, for his act 
of sportsmanship at the 1964 
games.  The British team was in 
second place after their first run  
(it's a 2-run event) when they 
found that their sled had a broken 
bolt on the rear axle.  They were 
about to forfeit the competition, 
when Monti, at the bottom of the 
run, took a bolt out of his sled's 
rear axle, sent it up to the British 
sled, and watched them win the 
Olympic Gold.  For his unselfish 
act, Monti was awarded the de 
Coubertin Medal for 
Sportsmanship, and a permanent 
place in sports history, far beyond 
his athletic achievements.