Mystique Ro’s journey from Queens University to Olympic skeleton medalist inspires a new generation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — About 10 years ago, Mystique Ro would have been like any of us watching Skeleton at the Olympics, asking herself, why would anyone go through with that?

“I mean it looks insane,” she said, “why would you want to throw yourself down a mountain head first? Where’s your protection, there’s no brakes, how do you steer?”

These are all things that Ro has learned and mastered over the last decade, landing her in the Olympic games.

“It’s been an interesting journey, I had no idea where it would be brought,” Ro said. “I had no idea.”

Ro was a record-setting hurdler and heptathlete at Queens University. By chance she tagged along with a teammate and found herself in Lake Placid New York in 2016 to try a new sport.

“They were trying to sell it to me, and I was like no not a chance,” she said. “I’m like no thank you, I’m good. Everything is going so fast, I can’t see anything, it’s blurry and I was like I’m good, I don’t want to do this ever again. Pass.”

But Ro stuck to it, with her track skills translating at a world-class level.

“It definitely helped with the push,” Ro said. “Hurdling and jumping I would attribute as my best transferable skills. Because of the type of training and strength in the hips and core stability.”

Ro’s rise through the sport is remarkable. From that first run in 2016, Ro has climbed towards the top, and recently became the first American to medal at the World Championships in 2025.

“We’re covering a mile of ice in less than a minute going 70+ miles per hour,” Ro said. “You can’t worry about every single curve in that moment because in that moment you’re two curves away. It’s going so fast.”

The 31-year-old has achieved an Olympic dream – maybe not one she envisioned at first – but she wants to help others join her.

“This is 20 years in the making, I’ve been dreaming of this for so long,” she said . “You don’t have to grow up doing skeleton to be good here. Just recognizing everyone’s path here is different. It’s a cool story and it can inspire someone else.”

In fact, she’s started a non profit – Push to Gold – to try and help others raise funds to participate in skeleton.

“Bring athletes more accessibility to equipment. Brush bikes, helmets, sleds, runners,” Ro said. “Different pieces of equipment that would be difficult to find on their own. For us to be the best in the world we can’t turn away these athletes that want to be interested in the sport but can’t afford to be here.”

Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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