Skeleton world champion Matt Weston from Britain emerged victorious in the first official test race held on the controversial sliding track being reconstructed for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Weston secured the win by edging out European champion Samuel Maier of Austria by a mere 0.15 seconds following two runs down the Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. This event also marked the commencement of the skeleton World Cup for the upcoming Olympic season.
Yin Zheng of China claimed the third spot, trailing by 0.18 seconds, after establishing a new track record with a time of 56.79 seconds in his initial run. Junior world champion Lukas Nydegger of Germany achieved his best World Cup performance, finishing in fourth place, just 0.05 seconds shy of the podium.
Representing the United States, Austin Florian finished in 10th place, while Italian athlete Mattia Gaspari led the host country with a 17th place finish. In the women’s competition, Jaqcueline Pfeifer secured her first World Cup victory in nearly five years, leading the pack with a 0.23-second advantage over her German counterpart and Olympic champion Hannah Neise. Kim Meylemans of Belgium rounded out the top three, finishing 0.32 seconds behind Pfeifer.
A mixed team event was on the schedule for later that Friday, with bobsled races set to take place on Saturday and Sunday. Despite the completion of the competitive segment of the track in Cortina, the surrounding areas are still undergoing construction, and the test event did not permit spectators.
Initially met with opposition from the International Olympic Committee due to the closure of the Cortina track in 2008, the Italian government proceeded with the reconstruction project, investing 118 million euros ($136 million) into revamping the venue. The Olympics are slated to take place from February 6 to 22.