Marcus Wyatt Secures Skeleton World Cup Gold, Leading British One-Two Finish

The final Skeleton World Cup event of 2024 took place in Latvia, where Great Britain secured both gold and silver medals. Marcus Wyatt emerged victorious, surpassing his team-mate Matt Weston. This achievement marks only the second occasion that two British male athletes have claimed the top two positions in a World Cup race. Previously, Weston had narrowly defeated Wyatt for gold on the same course two seasons prior. This victory represents Wyatt’s second World Cup triumph overall and his first since November 2022. Great Britain’s medal count for the current season now stands at 13 World Cup medals, matching the record total established during the 2022-23 season. This gold medal complements Wyatt’s previous achievements this season, which include two silver medals secured in PyeongChang, South Korea, in November, and a bronze medal obtained in Altenberg, Germany, last week. The 33-year-old athlete, who secured the European title last season with a second-place World Cup finish in Latvia, trailing only China’s Zheng Yin, surpassed Weston by a margin of a quarter of a second, recording a two-run total time of 1 minute 39.51 seconds. Weston has consistently earned a medal in every World Cup race this season, having previously secured a bronze in PyeongChang and silver medals in both Beijing and Altenberg. As Great Britain enters the Christmas break, the nation holds the top two positions in the world rankings, with Wyatt leading Weston by a seven-point margin. This shift occurred after the former leader, Christopher Grotheer, did not participate in Friday’s competition. The subsequent Skeleton World Cup meeting is scheduled for 3 January in Winterberg, Germany. Wyatt commented, “I’ve got the yellow leader’s bib for the next race in Winterberg so it’s cool to be back in that for the first time in a couple of years.” He further added, “I guess the aim now is to build on what’s been an incredible first five races of the season.”