(NEXSTAR) - The skeleton competitions, set to begin on Feb. 12 at the Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, will showcase athletes reaching speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour. Among the competitors, American athletes Mystique Rowe and Austin Florian are generating considerable excitement. Skeleton made its Olympic debut at the 1928 Winter Games in Switzerland and became a permanent event in 2002 during the Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Competitions consist of four heats, conducted over two days, with the gold medal awarded to the athlete with the lowest combined time from all four heats. Last year, Rowe made history as the first American to medal at a world championship in eight years, winning a silver medal. In addition, she secured gold in mixed doubles with her skeleton partner, Florian. The mixed doubles event is making its Olympic debut in Cortina, adding a new layer of competition. Florian, who ranked sixth overall in the men's event at last year's World Championships, aims to make a strong statement during his Olympic debut. Four U.S. skeleton athletes have qualified for this year's Winter Games, giving the Unied States a chance to excel on the world stage. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published