Olympic race in women's skeleton ends with three historic medals
Yanqing (RWH) With three medal winners for the sports history books, the women's skeleton Olympic race at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games has come to an end.
Hannah Neise was the first skeleton athlete from Germany to win Olympic gold. One day after teammate Christopher Grotheer (GER) had won the first Olympic gold for Germany in men's skeleton, the youngest athlete in the German skeleton team (21 years old) also managed the gold premiere in women's skeleton – without at least winning a medal in a major race bevor. By the way, in the Olympic history of women's skeleton since 2002, only the winner of the discipline's debut was younger: In 2002, US pilot Tristan Gale won at the age of 21 years, six months and ten days. Hannah Neise is a good two months older on the day of her Olympic victory.
Jaclyn Narracott became the first skeleton athlete from Australia to win an Olympic medal at the Yanqing Sliding Center. The 31-year-old took silver, 0.62 seconds behind Olympic Champion Neise.
Olympic bronze for Kimberley Bos (0.84 seconds back) is also a first in skeleton history: it is the first medal for the Netherlands in one of the ice track disciplines. At the start of the Olympic race in the Yanqing Sliding Center, nothing had pointed to a medal for the European champion and overall World Cup winner: Kimberley Bos was in tenth place after the first run, but fought her way forward in each run. The historic medal was set when World Champion Tina Hermann (GER) dropped one place in the fourth run and finished fourth.
Dan Zhao, flag bearer for the Olympic hosts from China at the opening ceremony and promising fourth place after the first day of racing, dropped back in the third Olympic run and finished ninth. The day before, teammate Yan Wengang won bronze in men's skeleton, the first medal for the Chinese team in the competitions at the Yanqing Sliding Center. ©RWH2022
Hannah Neise (GER, 2022 Olympic champion, 2021 World junior champion, 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games silver medalist).
"I think that first needs some time until I realize that. I'm also not such an emotional person, so maybe many people are surprised that I'm not completely freaking out. I am happy inside. The first day I wasn't nervous at all, but this morning I was. However, I know by now that I can rely on my skills."
Jaclyn Narracott (AUS, 2022 Olympic silver medalist, 2022 World Cup winner in St. Moritz)
"The medal is still surreal. To be honest, I've never been more relaxed on the sled in my whole skeleton career than I am here and now. I had nothing to lose, focused on the moment and just had fun."
Kimberley Bos (NED, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, 2022 European and overall World Cup champion)
"This is just great. I never thought I could still make it to the podium here. My feelings right now are hard to describe, I'm definitely very proud."
Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
