Skeleton six start in South Korea
The Skeleton World Cup season starts this weekend as six Brits slide in South Korea and Matt Weston begins the defence of his Overall World Cup title.
The eight-race campaign kicks off with a double header in PyeongChang on Saturday and Sunday morning when Weston is joined by European Champion Marcus Wyatt, Craig Thompson, Tabby Stoecker, Amelia Coltman and Freya Tarbit in the line up.
Weston won the sport’s version of the International Premier League in February as he became the first British man to claim that crown for 16 years and a similar result this season would make him the first ever British athlete to secure back-to-back titles.
There was plenty of success for GB across the team, too, as Stoecker won her maiden World Cup gold in La Plagne and Wyatt made the podium on multiple occasions as well as winning European Championship gold. Coltman claimed her first major medal with European bronze in Sigulda before GB won a brace of silver medals at the World Championships in Winterberg in February.
“After another long off season of lots of hard work away from the ice, it’s great to be back in competition mode this weekend,” said the BBSA’s Executive Performance Director, Natalie Dunman.
“It’s an exciting time of the year for the team: racing is why everyone’s involved in the sport and it’s exciting to be back at the track where GB enjoyed so much success at the 2018 Olympics.
It’s a completely new track for the majority of our team so we understand that it will require an outstanding effort to get on the podium. Only Amelia and Craig have raced here before this trip but it’s a good opportunity to test the skills required to learn a new track quickly and everyone’s embraced that challenge.
“We might be low on experience here but we’re working hard to maximise the opportunity of being on a new track - something that is similar to what we have to do for an Olympics. We’re now only 15 months from the next Games so we have to make the most of every opportunity we get.
“We’ve had some great results over the first two years of this quad and we’ve had new athletes step up as well so now we’re looking to kick on and that starts on Saturday.”
PyeongChang hosts a double header to start the new World Cup campaign, with men’s and women’s race on both Saturday and Sunday.
The women’s races begin at 7am GMT on both days, with the men’s following from 11am.
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.
There is no World Cup bobsleigh action this week or next as the circuit hasn’t travelled to Asia. The World Cup bobsleigh season instead starts in Altenberg, Germany on December 7th.
After returning from PyeongChang and Beijing, the World Cup skeleton circuit stops in Altenberg and then Sigulda before Christmas. A total of three more World Cup competitions follow in the New Year for the skeleton team, with Winterberg and St Moritz on the calendar in January and Lillehammer concluding the campaign in February prior to the season ending World Championships in Lake Placid.
