Matt Weston Dominates Opening Heat with Record-Breaking Run
Team GB's skeleton star Matt Weston has made a stunning start to his Olympic campaign in Cortina d'Ampezzo, setting a new track record in the first heat of the men's skeleton competition. The reigning world champion and current World No. 1 clocked an impressive time of 56.21 seconds, establishing himself as the heavy favourite to end Great Britain's medal drought in the event.
Controversy Overshadows Competition as Ukrainian Athlete Disqualified
The opening day of the skeleton heats was dominated by the dramatic disqualification of Ukrainian slider Vladyslav Heraskevych. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the athlete after he refused to back down on wearing a helmet honouring fellow Ukrainian athletes who have been killed during the ongoing Russian war.
Heraskevych, who had set the fastest time in Wednesday's training session and was considered a medal contender, met with IOC president Kirsty Coventry shortly before the competition began. Despite the meeting, he reiterated his insistence on wearing the decorated helmet, leading to his immediate disqualification and the revocation of his accreditation.
The 27-year-old athlete later expressed his defiance on social media, stating: "This is the price of our dignity." He had previously explained his position, saying: "An Olympic medal would be huge. Since my childhood, it's my big dream. But in this time, in time of full-scale war, some things are really more important than medals. At this point, I would say that a medal is worthless in comparison to people's lives, and I believe in comparison to memory of these athletes."
Weston's Flawless Performance Despite Minor Error
With the competition proceeding without Heraskevych, Matt Weston took centre stage as the first athlete to tackle the Cortina Sliding Centre track. The British slider made a minor mistake early in his run, clipping a wall, but demonstrated remarkable composure to recover brilliantly.
Weston steered excellently through the challenging second half of the course, ultimately setting the new track record. The world champion has actually gone quicker in training this week, recording a time of 56.11 seconds, suggesting he has significant room for improvement across the remaining three heats.
After his record-breaking run, Weston smiled and waved to the enthusiastic crowds, appearing thoroughly satisfied with his commanding performance that puts him in pole position for Olympic glory.
Strong Competition from International Rivals
Germany's Axel Jungk, who won silver at the Beijing Olympics, clocked the second-fastest time, finishing just six-hundredths of a second behind Weston. Italy's Amedeo Bagnis secured third position, 0.16 seconds back from the British leader.
Weston's teammate Marcus Wyatt, who finished third in the overall World Cup standings this season, placed seventh after the first heat with a time of 56.52 seconds. Interestingly, Wyatt matched Weston's time at the first checkpoint, but like all other competitors, lost precious tenths of a second to the British star in the lower section of the Cortina track.
The skeleton competition continues with another heat scheduled for later on Thursday, followed by the final two heats on Friday. The athlete with the quickest aggregate time across all four heats will be crowned Olympic champion, with Weston currently holding a significant advantage in his quest for gold.
