The first test race on the reconstructed sliding track for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics saw British skeleton world champion Matt Weston emerge victorious on Friday. Weston outpaced Austrian European champion Samuel Maier by 0.15 seconds in the head-first competition on the Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after two runs. This race also marked the commencement of the skeleton World Cup for the Olympic season.
Chinese competitor Yin Zheng clinched the third spot, trailing by 0.18 seconds, and set a new track record with a time of 56.79 seconds in the initial run. German junior world champion Lukas Nydegger secured fourth place, narrowly missing a podium finish by 0.05 seconds.
Among the American participants, Austin Florian finished in 10th place, while hometown favorite Mattia Gaspari of Italy led the host nation in 17th place. In the women’s event, Jaqcueline Pfeifer claimed her first World Cup victory in nearly five years, finishing 0.23 seconds ahead of her German teammate and Olympic champion Hannah Neise. Belgian athlete Kim Meylemans secured the third spot, trailing by 0.32 seconds.
Upcoming events on the schedule include a mixed team competition later on Friday, followed by bobsled races over the weekend. Although the competitive section of the Cortina track is operational, the surrounding areas are still under construction, and spectators were not permitted at the test event.
Initially facing opposition due to the high costs of refurbishment, the Cortina track had been closed since 2008. The International Olympic Committee suggested relocating sliding events to nearby Austria or Switzerland to save costs, but the Italian government proceeded with the reconstruction, investing 118 million euros ($136 million) into the venue. The Winter Olympics are set to take place from February 6 to 22.