Former Tulane Track & Field Athlete Competes in the Winter Olympics
Former Tulane track and field athlete Jared Firestone will make history next week when he competes in the skeleton for Israel at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. Firestone, a 2012 graduate of Tulane University, is the school’s first known alumnus to qualify for a Winter Olympics.
If you're trying to remember what the event is all about, the skeleton is a high-speed Winter Olympic sliding sport where athletes ride a small, flat sled down an ice track head-first and face-down, reaching speeds over 80 mph. Originating in 1928, it involves a running start, where competitors then dive onto the sled and navigate the twisting turns using their body weight.
“Representing Israel at the Olympics has been a 20-year dream in the making that's now a reality,” said Firestone. “Most of my training happened when nobody was watching, and I think that’s kind of the point. You don’t need the cameras on you to go all in on something you believe in. You just need a goal you believe in and a strategy to move one step closer to it every single day.”
Firestone Ran for Tulane in the Early 2010s
A four-year member of the Tulane track and field team, Firestone competed between 2008-12 and posted the team’s best time in the 100 meters each season. He also notched the program’s top mark in the 200 meters during two of his campaigns. Excelling in the classroom, Firestone garnered Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition all four years. As a senior, he ranked 18th in the conference in the 100 meters. His best time in the 100 meters came as a freshman with a 10.72, and his best 200 meters time was a 22.39 in his junior season.
“The foundation for my work ethic began at Tulane,” said Firestone. “Waking up at 6:00 a.m. to lift weights, going to class, followed by grueling track workouts in the New Orleans heat helped shape my mindset for pushing myself to work, fundraise, train, and of course slide down ice tracks at 85 mph all at the same time to achieve this goal.”
Discovering the Skeleton Event
After graduating from Tulane in 2012, Firestone attended Yeshiva University for law school. During his first semester, Firestone suffered a minor stroke. While recovering during the 2014 Winter Olympics, he discovered the sport of skeleton and subsequently a new dream. Firestone completed his legal studies. He is a licensed attorney in both Florida and New York while also embarking on his newfound dream.
Two years ago, as Firestone competed for Birthright Israel, he was working his way toward making the Israeli team. This video shows his competition.
Over multiple years, Firestone has been a self-funded athlete in his pursuit of the Olympics. He has earned multiple medals along the way across various competitions, including a gold in the North America Cup, the nation’s first gold in an Olympic sliding sport.
Now, Firestone is one of just 25 athletes to qualify for the men’s skeleton in this year’s Olympic Games. In qualifying, he will become the first known Tulane graduate to participate in the Winter Olympics. Firestone is set to compete twice next week with his first heat at 2:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, February 12th. He races again Friday, February 13th at 12:30 p.m. CT. Both events will stream onNBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
Portions Courtesy Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.