Glorious gold for Coltman
Amelia Coltman won a stunning skeleton World Cup gold in the season opener in South Korea on Saturday morning.
Coltman kicked off the new campaign in PyeongChang by claiming her first ever World Cup medal at the home of Great Britain’s triple Olympic triumph in 2018.
The 28-year-old matched Lizzy Yarnold’s triumph at a track that hasn’t featured on the sport’s top circuit since the country’s greatest Winter Olympian won her second Olympic gold six years ago.
Coltman clocked 1 minute 48.41 seconds to beat Austria’s Janine Flock - the athlete Yarnold & Deas pipped to Olympic medals - by 0.08 seconds, with Brazil’s Nicole Silveira taking bronze.
Fellow Brit Freya Tarbit came agonisingly close to joining Coltman on the podium as she missed a maiden medal by just two hundredths of a second.
Much of the race order changed significantly from the first to second runs as track conditions got significantly trickier, with GB’s Tabby Stoecker among those to fall out of contention after a strong start. Stoecker, who won the first race of last season in La Plagne, was third at halfway but finished equal 18th in a 38-strong outfit overall.
"It's totally surreal that I claimed my first World Cup gold medal today!" said Coltman.
"I went into today focusing on taking the lessons I learnt last season to focus on myself and be relaxed. I had a disappointing first run with some race suit issues that affected my vision so I knew I had nothing to lose on Run 2.
I just wanted to show what I'm capable of, but to come away with the gold was unbelievable!
"I've had some great experiences and results on the PyeongChang track on the Intercontinental Cup circuit in previous years but to step up on the World Cup here feels incredible. I'm excited to race again tomorrow and wear the yellow bib for the first time!"
Amelia Coltman won World Cup gold for the first time
“I’m delighted for Amelia. She produced an outstanding second run and made the most of the conditions,” said BBSA Executive Performance Director, Natalie Dunman.
“She’s worked really hard to get to this point, battling back from injuries and showing big improvements last year when she won European Championship bronze.
“This is another big step forward but she’s got less than 24 hours to enjoy it before we race again tomorrow!”
Race 2 of the World Cup season takes place at the same venue tomorrow at 7am GMT.
The circuit then heads to Beijing, China (the home of the last Olympic Winter Games in 2022), before heading back to Europe for two more races before Christmas.
You can watch the action live via the IBSF website or YouTube channel and follow the results and reaction on the BBSA’s Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.
