Matt Weston of Great Britain took the lead in the men’s skeleton at the Winter Olympics, setting back-to-back track records of 56.21 and 55.88 seconds. He holds a 0.3-second advantage over Germany’s Axel Jungk ahead of the final two heats on Friday. Weston expressed satisfaction with his performance but noted room for improvement, saying, “There’s still things that I can improve on, which I think is an extremely lucky and fortunate place to be.”
The race was overshadowed by the late disqualification of Ukrainian slider Vladyslav Heraskevych, whose Olympic accreditation was revoked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) just 21 minutes before the event. Heraskevych had refused to compete without his helmet, which was decorated with images of fellow Ukrainian athletes killed during the Russian invasion. The British competitors, Weston and Marcus Wyatt, only learned of the decision after finishing their runs.
Heraskevych held an impromptu press conference near the finish line, addressing a crowd of 30 journalists while the race continued. Fellow sliders expressed sympathy and respect for his stance. “I’m really, really sad that he’s missed out on being able to compete,” said Weston, who described Heraskevych as a friend. Israel’s Jared Firestone called him “a man with strong values,” while the USA’s Daniel Barefoot said he was “shocked” by the disqualification.
The Latvian team lodged an official protest with the IOC, according to slider Emils Indriksons, who stated, “It’s so sad that this is happening, you should be able to express yourself how you want.” Heraskevych appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, the competition continues with two heats remaining, and British fans cheered on Weston alongside German supporters and a small Ukrainian family with a large flag that was asked to be taken down by IOC stewards.
