Weston and Stoecker Make Olympic History with Mixed Team Skeleton Gold
Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker have stormed to a history-making mixed team skeleton gold at the Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics, with Weston claiming his second gold medal of the Games in a stunning performance.
A Record-Breaking Achievement
Weston wrote his name in the British Olympic record books by teaming up with Stoecker to secure victory in the mixed team skeleton competition. This triumph follows his dominant gold in the men's individual event on Friday evening, making him the first British athlete ever to win two medals at a single Winter Olympics. He now joins dual women's skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold as the nation's most successful Winter Games athlete.
"There's some great names in the British Winter Olympian history," Weston said. "I think to even consider putting my name next to those is a massive honour. I don't want to be the one to say what position I am in there, but to have my name next to those is absolutely amazing. A lot of those guys have been a massive inspiration, especially within the sliding sports as well."
Nail-Biting Comeback Secures Victory
The pair's gold medal was secured through a remarkable comeback. After Stoecker's run, they faced a 0.3-second deficit against eventual silver medallists Susanne Kreher and Axel Jungk of Germany. Weston showed why he is considered the world's best by delivering a flawless performance that turned the tables, winning by 0.17 seconds.
Weston revealed he was unaware of the ground he needed to make up during his crucial run. "When I'm at the top of the track I kind of put my helmet just low enough that I can't see what the splits are," he explained. "All I was doing was listening to my coach telling me the timings and all I could think was don't false start. I was just staying very calm and trying to be collected, just tick the boxes, get the job done and hopefully that would have been enough and it turns out it was."
Stoecker's Faith in Her Teammate
Stoecker, who finished fifth in the women's individual competition on Saturday evening, expressed complete confidence in Weston's ability to deliver under pressure. "What an honour – it's incredible," she said. "The medal is really heavy, it's gold and I get to share it with Matt. It's more than I could have ever hoped for."
"He's the individual Olympic champion and his standard of sliding is insane," Stoecker continued. "So I had a lot of faith that he was going to lay down another exceptional run. But also it's always nerve wracking when you have to watch the clock and the splits and you're not sure how it's going to go. But the flow that he has on the sled, it's just unmatched, so from about halfway down I could feel that the gold was coming."
Emotional Celebrations with Family and Friends
The victory was made even more special by the presence of family and friends at the Cortina Sliding Centre finish line. Stoecker's boyfriend Pat Atkin, who will be best man at Weston's wedding this summer, was among those celebrating the historic achievement.
"My boyfriend is there, but all my friends and family who have come out to watch, that's just made it so special," Stoecker said. "I got to put my gold medal on my niece and nephew, they were saying how heavy it was and that's just a moment that is going to last forever. All our families are really close and I consider Matt one of my best friends."
Landmark Day for Team GB
Weston and Stoecker's gold marked the second of the day for Britain, following Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale's victory in the mixed team snowboard cross earlier. This made it a landmark occasion for Team GB at the Winter Olympics.
"It's pretty special to be a part of that to be honest," said Weston. "I'm extremely proud of what I've been able to achieve in the past couple of days. Especially to win the first ever team event is absolutely amazing. To win it with such a great team mate is just the icing on the cake. I'm buzzing and I don't know what's next to be honest – probably the pub!"
The mixed team skeleton competition, making its Olympic debut, has provided one of the most memorable moments of the Milan and Cortina Games, with Weston and Stoecker's partnership delivering gold and creating British Olympic history.
