Squad seek success on world stage
Reigning World Champion Matt Weston and newly crowned European Champion Marcus Wyatt are among the British Skeleton athletes seeking more medals at this month’s World Championships in Winterberg.
Weston and Wyatt are joined in the British men’s team by Craig Thompson, with Tabby Stoecker and Amelia Coltman named in the women’s team if GB have just two spots and Freya Tarbit joining them if they secure three places via a strong performance at this week’s World Cup race in Altenberg.
As well as celebrating gold via Weston in St Moritz last season, GB won silver and bronze in the Mixed Team event and finished with three sliders in the top five in the men’s competition.
Weston, who won the global crown and team silver this time last year, is aiming to become the first British slider in history (male or female) to win multiple World titles. No British athlete has ever even made the medal podium the year after winning the event but Weston heads back to Winterberg having won bronze in the most recent World Cup race at the track in January 2023.
Wyatt won the continental crown in Sigulda the week before last and he will now be hoping to add to that maiden major title in what will be his fifth appearance at a World Championships.
Having agonisingly missed individual bronze last year in Moritz by just one hundredth of a second, Thompson won Team bronze in the same event and is now set for his fourth World Championships.
The women’s team sees Coltman and (if qualification is secured) Tarbit set for their World Championship debuts, while Stoecker only appeared at the event for the first time 13 months ago. Coltman medalled at the elite level for the first time earlier this month when she won European Championship bronze in Sigulda, while Stoecker won World Cup gold in La Plagne and bronze in Igls at the back end of 2023.
Amelia Coltman won European bronze last time out
“The World Championships are one of our key targets this season so we’ve been building towards next week for a number of months now,” said British Skeleton’s Performance Director, Natalie Dunman.
Events like the World Championships are big stepping stones in an Olympic cycle - the athletes don’t get many chances to compete in a four-heat race before the Games in 2026 so we want to make the most of these opportunities.
“Last season’s World Championships were outstanding for us as a team and we’ve had some strong results from all our athletes this season so we head to Winterberg in a positive frame of mind.
“We know that beating the Germans on one of their home tracks is a really difficult task, though, and we’ve seen some incredibly strong performances from a real mix of sliders from all across the world this year so we’re under no illusions as to how difficult it will be to win medals here.
“Ultimately, though, that’s our aim - we want to be on the podium at what is the biggest event of the year.”
British Skeleton World Championship team:
Men
Matt Weston
Marcus Wyatt
Craig Thompson
Women
Tabby Stoecker
Amelia Coltman
Freya Tarbit*
*Final International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation quota places will not be confirmed until after this week’s race in Altenberg. Freya Tarbit’s selection will only be confirmed if Great Britain earns three (as opposed to two) quota spots in the women’s field
This year’s World Championships take place in Winterberg, Germany from February 22nd - March 3rd, with the schedule as follows:
Thurs 22 Feb
Women's Skeleton Heats 1&2
Men's Skeleton Heats 1&2
Fri 23 Feb
Women's Skeleton Heats 3&4
Men's Skeleton Heats 3&4
Sat 24 Feb
Women's Monobob Heats 1&2
2-man Bobsleigh Heats 1&2
Skeleton Mixed Team Competition
Sun 25 Feb
Women's Monobob Heats 3&4
2-man Bobsleigh Heats 3&4
Fri 1 Mar
Women's Bobsleigh Heats 1&2
Sat 2 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Heats 1&2
Women's Bobsleigh Heats 3&4
Sun 3 Mar
4-man Bobsleigh Heats 3&4
All races will be shown live on the IBSF YouTube channel and website
