Weston & Wyatt lead the way in Worlds
Great Britain’s hopes of an historic World Championship one-two remain very much alive after Day One of the Skeleton World Championships in Lake Placid.
GB have never had more than one athlete on the same World Championship podium but Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt occupy the top two spots in the men’s event heading into today’s final two runs.
Weston, who beat Wyatt to the Overall World Cup crown across eight top tier races this season, leads the 29-strong field by 0.89 seconds, with second-placed Wyatt 0.12 ahead of Germany’s Axel Jungk in third.
Weston clocked a combined time of 1 minute 49.02 seconds across his first two runs, leading by 0.44 seconds after Run 1 before going even further clear following Run 2.
The former taekwondo fighter, who celebrated his 28th birthday this week, is attempting to become the first British slider - male or female - to win multiple World Championship titles, having triumphed in St Moritz two seasons ago.
Having also won silver in Winterberg last season, a medal of any colour would see him match double Olympic Champion Lizzy Yarnold’s British record of three individual World Championship podium places and take his overall World Champs tally to five after a brace of team silvers over the past two years.
Wyatt, who is looking for his first World Championship medal after missing out by one hundredth of a second last year, faces stiff competition from reigning World and Olympic Champion Christopher Grotheer, who is just 0.02 seconds behind his compatriot Jungk in fourth.
Chinese duo Zheng Yin and Wenhao Chen are fifth and sixth, 1.38 and 1.42 seconds back from Weston.
GB’s third male slider, Laurence Bostock, sits 17th after clocking 55.2 seconds in his first run and 56.38 in his second. Bostock was 15th fastest in Run 1 but six spots slower second time around.
The 24-year-old has never raced at World Championship level before but he is well placed to earn a fourth run reserved for the top 25 sleds after heats 1,2 and 3.
Runs 3 and 4 take place at 3.45pm GMT today.
In the women’s event, the British trio of Tabby Stoecker, Amelia Coltman and Freya Tarbit are 14th, 15th and 20th at the halfway mark.
Stoecker was in fourth after the first run, just two hundredths of a second outside the medals and 0.18 from the leader, but a disappointing second heat saw her slip down the order.
The 24-year-old, who was fourth at last year’s season showpiece in Germany, is 0.89 seconds behind Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands in first and 0.67 adrift of Canada’s reigning champion Hallie Clarke in third. Anna Fernstaedt of the Czech Republic sits second, with Coltman 1.28 seconds from top spot and Tarbit 2.27 back.
The final two runs of the women’s competition begin at 9pm GMT.
World Championship schedule
All times are GMT
Thurs 6 Mar
Men's Skeleton Runs 1&2 2pm
Women's Skeleton Runs 1&2 7pm
Fri 7 Mar
Men's Skeleton Runs 3&4 3.45pm
Women's Skeleton Runs 3&4 9pm
Sat 8 Mar
2-man Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 2pm
Women's Monobob Runs 1&2 7pm
Sun 9 Mar
Skeleton Team Event 12am
2-man Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 2.30pm
Women's Monobob Runs 3&4 7.30pm
Sat 15 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 1pm
Women's Bobsleigh Runs 1&2 6pm
Sun 16 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 1pm
Women's Bobsleigh Runs 3&4 6pm
