Tarbit sixth as men's race cancelled
Freya Tarbit finished sixth in the women’s skeleton on a day disrupted by the weather in Winterberg.
Tarbit boosted her hopes of Olympic qualification with her second successive sixth-place finish after she ended 2025 in the same spot in Sigulda.
The 25-year-old, who placed fifth in Lillehammer in early December either side of coming 17th and 25th in Cortina and the first race of the Sigulda double header, clocked a two-run time of 2 minutes 1.22 seconds in the opening race of 2026.
Tarbit sat second after the first run but eventually missed out on a third World Cup medal of her career by 0.39 seconds as Janine Flock took gold ahead of Mystique Ro and Anna Fernstaedt.
Team mate Tabby Stoecker finished eighth in a time of 2 minutes 1.71 seconds, with Amelia Coltman 18th in 2 minutes 2.2 seconds in hugely challenging conditions in Germany.
Tarbit moves up to 10th place in the IBSF rankings as a result of her wider podium place, with Coltman ninth and Stoecker fifth with two races remaining before the Olympic Winter Games next month.
The women's race in Winterberg went ahead but the men's event was cancelled
There was frustration for the British men, however, as the morning’s race was cancelled after the first run following snow and strong winds.
The conditions changed throughout the first run and, after initially postponing the start of the second, the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation announced that the race would be cancelled completely.
The fifth race of the seven-event World Cup season has been rescheduled to take place in St Moritz, Switzerland this coming Wednesday, January 7. The birth place of sliding sports will now host two men’s races next week, with Friday’s race going ahead as planned.
The team event, which was due to take place this evening in Winterberg but was also cancelled, has not been rescheduled.
