Wyatt wins gold; Weston bronze
British Skeleton enjoyed a dream start to the new World Cup season as Marcus Wyatt won gold and Matt Weston bronze in Canada on Thursday night.
The result in Whistler marked the first time that two British men had made a World Cup podium since January 2008 when Anthony Sawyer and Adam Pengilly won silver and bronze respectively in Cesana.
And, having had to wait nearly 14 years for a men’s World Cup gold medal, GB now have two in less than 12 months after Weston won in Igls this time last year.
Both Brits set a new start record of 4.46 seconds and hit speeds of more than 88mph at the world’s fastest track, with only South Korea’s Seunggi Jung stopping a GB one-two.
30-year-old Wyatt clocked a combined time of 1 minute 45.44 seconds, taking top spot by one hundredth of a second, with Weston completing his two runs in 1.46.10.
“It’s an amazing feeling! To win gold for my country on World Cup is something I’ve dreamt of for a long time and it feels as good as I thought it would!’ said Wyatt, who was 16th at his first Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February.
“I put down two consistent runs and my starts were quick, too, so it’s exactly what I would have wanted at the start of the week. Training was a bit up and down but I was confident we could bring it together on race day.
It’s a perfect way to start the new Olympic campaign to be honest.
"To win a medal with Matt makes the result even better as well. It’s only one result but I’m hoping it’s a sign of good things to come for me and for the team."
Marcus Wyatt and Matt Weston were both in the medals
Both men now have a full set of top tier medals, with Wyatt previously winning World Cup bronze in Sigulda in 2020 and silver at the Olympic Test event in October last year and Weston having taken silver and gold in Igls in each of the last two seasons.
It bodes well for the season ahead, although Performance Director Natalie Dunman acknowledges that there’s a lot of work to be done with seven World Cup races and next year’s World Championships in St Moritz still to come.
“It’s a great start to the season. Marcus and Matt and the whole team have been working really hard since Beijing and it’s great to see that work paying off,” said Dunman.
“To have two British men on the podium for the first time in nearly 15 years is brilliant. There’s still lots of work to do but it’s good platform for the rest of the season and the new Olympic cycle.”
Fellow Brit Laurence Bostock finished 15th in a time of 1.49.76. The 23-year-old hit the very first wall in his opening run and that prevented him from challenging further up the field on just his fourth World Cup start.
The women’s competition begins at 10.30pm GMT today, with Brogan Crowley and Laura Deas both in action for GB.
Bobsleigh action then takes over in Whistler, with the circuit heading to Park City, Utah next week.
