The Moment Everyone Sees
On January 9, 2026, the historic natural ice of St. Moritz witnessed a masterclass in power. Belgian skeleton star Kim Meylemans didn’t just win; she dominated, securing both the World Cup gold and the European Championship title while shattering the track record with a blistering 1:10.23. It was a moment of pure, visible triumph—a celebration of speed.
And the result wasn’t a one-run surprise. Kim was the fastest in both heats, a clean, commanding win that also marked her second European Championship title after 2024. For her, it carried personal weight: she had been quick the year before, but mistakes on race day left her second. This time, she made it clear she came to finish the job.
But for elite athletes, victory isn’t captured at the finish line. It is decided months in advance, long before the first frost, in a rigorous environment where performance is engineered, not just hoped for. The truth of skeleton is simple: the race is won before it even begins.
Filtering the Invisible Risk
Kim’s St. Moritz win didn’t happen in isolation. Kim and Nicole received T-APEX in August and began using it together in sprint training as the Olympic season built momentum. From the start, the goal wasn’t to add more work — it was to train with a clearer standard, session by session, and carry that quality into competition.
“In skeleton, the start is everything. Those first few seconds can define an entire run, so developing explosive power and acceleration is a huge priority for us.”
— Kim Meylemans & Nicole Silveira
At the elite level, the greatest danger isn't a lack of effort—it is the "invisible" degradation of training quality. The risk in start training is that an athlete might feel "fine" while their nervous system is actually experiencing a subtle drop in explosive output.
This is where dry-land sprint training serves as a crucial Quality Filter. By utilizing T-APEX on the track, we move beyond mere resistance; we create a repeatable verification system. T-APEX acts as a gatekeeper, allowing us to judge if the day’s explosive power is still present. If the data shows a dip, the session is filtered out before it ever reaches the ice, ensuring Kim only builds on high-quality repetitions that translate to gold-medal speed.
Acceleration Under Constraint
T-APEX specifically transforms Kim’s performance by exposing technical flaws under the unique constraints of the bent-over skeleton position. Unlike traditional weights that can hinder natural mechanics, T-APEX provides intelligent resistance that forces Kim to generate effective acceleration while in her low, restricted racing stance.
“What we like most about T-APEX is how it allows us to work on resisted sprinting while still maintaining proper mechanics and speed. It gives us very specific feedback on power output and consistency, which helps us fine-tune both our strength and sprint form.”
— Kim Meylemans & Nicole Silveira
On the flat track, T-APEX becomes a diagnostic tool: it doesn't just make the sprint harder; it makes it more transparent. If her mechanics shift or her power leaks by even a fraction, the resistance feedback immediately exposes the flaw. This ensures that her acceleration isn't just a result of effort, but a hardened technical capability that remains stable even under the extreme pressure of competition.
When Data Says Stop
In our system, data isn't a display—it is a Decision Tool. The most dangerous training sets are those where the athlete "feels" okay, but the actual quality of output has begun to vanish. T-APEX eliminates this guesswork by serving as a training decision trigger.
We track metrics like peak velocity and consistency not to show off, but to detect decay. The moment the system identifies a drop in neurological output, the session is called off. This surgical approach ensures that Kim never performs "garbage volume." By stopping when quality fades, T-APEX protects her speed, ensuring every ounce of energy is spent building a faster start, never a slower one.
Protecting Speed Toward Milano–Cortina
As the focus shifts toward the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the challenge is no longer about adding more work. It’s about preserving what already works.
Kim also points out that the value of the system lies in its continuity. Being able to bring T-APEX across training locations — and occasionally onto the ice — allows the same standards to hold, whether during sprint sessions or push work. In her program, T-APEX is used selectively, typically one to two times a week, when quality matters most.
In a sport where hundredths of a second define outcomes, explosive speed must survive travel, fatigue, and months of competition pressure. For Kim, that means relying on a training system that doesn’t guess — one that clearly signals when quality is present, and just as clearly when it’s time to stop.
That consistency of judgment is what allows speed to carry through an entire season, not just peak on race day.
T-APEX has become more than a training tool in that process. It acts as a technical anchor — helping protect explosive performance, refine decisions, and ensure that every high-quality session truly counts.
See the System at Work
For coaches and performance teams who want to see how decision-driven resistance training works in real-world environments, T-APEX demos are available by appointment.
Book an on-site demo to explore how explosive speed can be built — and protected — through intelligent training control.
