Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker win thrilling mixed team skeleton gold at Winter Olympics
Britain capped an extraordinary day at the Winter Games when matt weston and Tabitha Stoecker combined to win the inaugural mixed team skeleton event in Cortina. The victory, sealed with the final run of an absorbing final, made Weston the first British athlete to claim two Winter Olympic gold medals at the same Games and lifted the nation to a record three golds in a single Winter Olympics.
Weston seals Britain’s place in history
Stoecker set a strong early benchmark with a run of 1: 00. 77, leaving the British pair with work to do and the Germans looming as serious challengers. Weston—who had already taken individual gold two days earlier—responded in spectacular fashion, producing a near-flawless 58. 59-second effort to deliver a combined time of 1: 59. 36 and clinch first place.
That 58. 59 run underlined why Weston is viewed as the world’s best skeleton racer. Pushed to the last heat as the top-seeded duo, the pair handled the pressure of being the final starters and converted expectation into gold. The margin between podium and heartbreak was razor-thin elsewhere: a second British pairing finished just 0. 01 seconds outside the medals, while two German teams took silver and bronze.
Nerves, split seconds and decisive starts
The mixed team format, making its debut in Milan-Cortina, demands flawless coordination: sliders race consecutively and must time their starts precisely when five red lights go out. An early push can draw heavy penalties or disqualification, prompting many athletes to favour caution and produce tentative openings.
That dynamic played into the drama of the final. One high-profile competitor incurred a one-second penalty for an early reaction, shifting podium prospects and opening a window for the British entries. Weston and Stoecker seized that opening, with Weston’s blistering finish proving decisive when fractions of a second determine medal places.
Reactions and what this means for Team GB
Weston, buoyant after his second gold, reflected on the unusual mix of individual excellence and team celebration: "The individual event is amazing but doing it as a team when we're normally an individual sport is amazing. To have my team-mate by my side as Olympic champions, two-time for me which is crazy. I'm looking forward to the celebrations!"
Former coaches and teachers watching from home emphasised the mental attributes that helped produce the result. One former PE teacher described a striking calmness in Weston’s demeanour at the start, noting that the combination of rugby-honed speed and the focus developed through other disciplines helped him manage the enormous pressure of going last and needing an exceptional time.
The gold represents more than an individual milestone. It marks the first occasion a nation from Britain has secured three gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, and it underlines a growing depth in winter sports talent across disciplines. For Weston personally, the achievement cements his place as the most decorated British athlete at a single Winter Games, while teammates and rivals alike will return home with fresh motivation as winter-sport programs look to build on this landmark performance.
With medals decided and margins measured in hundredths, the mixed team skeleton final in Cortina will be remembered for split-second drama, calm execution and a historic double for matt weston that reshaped his nation’s Winter Olympic record books.
