Skeleton world champion Matt Weston from Britain emerged victorious in the inaugural test race on the controversial sliding track undergoing reconstruction for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics. Weston triumphed over Austrian European champion Samuel Maier by a slim margin of 0.15 seconds after completing two runs on the Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. This event also marked the commencement of the skeleton World Cup for the Olympic season.
China’s Yin Zheng secured the third position, trailing 0.18 seconds behind, setting a new track record with a time of 56.79 seconds in the initial run. German junior world champion Lukas Nydegger achieved his best World Cup performance by finishing in fourth place, narrowly missing a podium spot by 0.05 seconds. Among the American participants, Austin Florian claimed the 10th spot, while local athlete Mattia Gaspari represented Italy in the 17th position.
In the women’s category, Jaqcueline Pfeifer celebrated her first World Cup victory in nearly five years, outpacing her German teammate and Olympic champion Hannah Neise by 0.23 seconds. Belgium’s Kim Meylemans secured the third spot, finishing 0.32 seconds behind the leader.
Following the individual races, a mixed team event was scheduled for later in the day, with bobsled competitions set to take place on Saturday and Sunday. Despite the completion of the competitive segment of the Cortina track, ongoing construction in the surrounding areas prohibited spectators from attending the test race.
The International Olympic Committee initially suggested relocating the sliding events for the Milan Cortina Olympics to neighboring Austria or Switzerland due to the closure of the Cortina track in 2008. However, the Italian government proceeded with the reconstruction, investing 118 million euros ($136 million) in the venue restoration. The Olympics are scheduled to take place from February 6 to 22, showcasing various thrilling winter sports competitions.
