Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker have stormed to a history-making mixed team skeleton gold medal at the Milan and Cortina Winter Olympic Games, cementing their place in British sporting legend. Weston, who had already secured the men's individual skeleton title just days earlier, claimed his second gold of the competition in a thrilling team event that showcased his world-class talent.
A Remarkable Comeback Victory
Weston demonstrated why he is considered the best skeleton athlete in the world by turning around a 0.3-second deficit following Stoecker's run to deliver a narrow victory by just 0.17 seconds over silver medallists Susanne Kreher and Axel Jungk of Germany. The British pair's triumph marks a significant milestone in Winter Olympic history for Team GB.
Weston Enters the Record Books
With this second gold medal, Matt Weston becomes the first British athlete ever to win two medals at the same Winter Olympic Games. This achievement places him alongside dual women's skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold as Britain's most successful Winter Olympian.
"There's some great names in the British Winter Olympian history," Weston reflected. "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."
The Winning Mindset
Remarkably, Weston was unaware of the time deficit he needed to overcome 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."
Stoecker's Confidence and Celebration
Tabby Stoecker, who had finished fifth in the women's individual competition on Saturday, expressed complete faith in her teammate's abilities. "He's the individual Olympic champion and his standard of sliding is insane," she said. "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."
The celebration at the Cortina Sliding Centre was particularly meaningful for Stoecker, whose boyfriend Pat Atkin was among those waiting at the finish line. Atkin, who will serve as best man at Weston's wedding this summer, witnessed a special moment in British sporting history.
"My boyfriend is there, but all my friends and family who have come out to watch, that's just made it so special," Stoecker shared. "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."
A Landmark Day for Team GB
Weston and Stoecker's victory represented the second gold medal of the day for Britain, following Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale's triumph in the mixed team snowboard cross event. This double success created a landmark occasion for the British Olympic team in Milan-Cortina.
"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."
When asked about his immediate plans following this historic achievement, Weston responded with characteristic British understatement: "I'm buzzing and I don't know what's next to be honest – probably the pub!"
