Matt Weston has won gold in the men’s singles skeleton competition, Team GB’s first medal at the Winter Olympics in Italy.
The 28-year-old, a world and European champion, had been the favourite for gold after leading at the halfway stage of the event on Thursday, with track records in the first two heats.
On Friday, the British athlete posted another track record on his third run – recording a 0.39-second advantage at the top of the leaderboard.
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A near faultless run in his final heat at the Milano Cortina Games saw him increase his margin of victory to 0.88s, bringing the gold home.
Weston completes his final run. Pic: Reuters
Pic: AP
Germany’s Axel Jungk took silver for the second successive Games, while Jungk’s compatriot and defending champion Christopher Grotheer got the bronze.
Marcus Wyatt, Team GB’s other medal hopeful, finished ninth.
Weston celebrates his victory. Pics: Reuters
In March 2025, Weston took his second world champion crown and last month he clinched his third successive overall World Cup title.
His Olympic win marks the first-ever gold in the men’s skeleton for Team GB.
Explainer: Who is Matt Weston?
Weston celebrates with the other medallists. Pic: Reuters
Weston made his debut in skeleton in 2019, previously competing in taekwondo and securing several European and international honours.
He continued in that discipline until the age of 17, when he retired due to injury.
Team GB supporters celebrate. Pics: Reuters
Speaking after his win, Weston said: “[It means] everything. It means a hell of a lot to me personally. I have worked so hard for this.
“Everyone back at home, my fiancee, my family, my friends, everyone that has sacrificed for me to be here. I have missed funerals, birthdays, everything for this moment and it feels amazing.”
Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir Starmer celebrated the victory, with the prime minister saying in a post on X: “History-making. Congratulations Matt Weston!”
Team GB had won a medal in the skeleton at each of the Games since 2002 until 2018.
Lizzy Yarnold secured two golds, at Sochi in 2014 and PyeongChang in 2018, while Dom Parsons was Britain’s first male skeleton medallist since 1948 in South Korea, winning bronze in the men’s event, and Amy Williams won gold in 2010 in Vancouver.
It comes after Ukrainian competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified 30 minutes before the start of the session on Thursday because he refused to not use his “helmet of remembrance” depicting athletes killed since Russia’s invasion.
This story originally appeared on Skynews
