Standing on the high of the winding Cortina sliding observe with Olympic gold in his sights, Matt Weston knew what he needed to do.
Having laid the foundations for skeleton gold on Thursday – tidying up errors from his first run to provide an announcement second, every time setting the observe file – the Briton merely wanted extra of the identical on Friday.
What he produced was not solely a masterclass in sliding but in addition a outstanding show of composure and focus to clinch gold – Workforce GB’s first medal of the Video games – and cement his place on the high of the game.
“It means every thing. It means a hell of so much to me personally, I’ve labored so arduous for this,” Weston instructed BBC Sport.
“However everybody again house – my fiancee, my household, my associates, everybody who has sacrificed every thing for this. I’ve missed funerals, birthdays, every thing for this second. It feels wonderful. Hopefully I made you proud.”
Weston set a observe file on all 4 of his runs and will have eased off in his last try having already constructed a major margin of 0.39 seconds, however ramped issues up on what was finally a victory lap lasting 55.61secs, ending with a sensational total time of three:43.33.
It left an nearly unattainable activity for the chasing pack and Germany’s Axel Jungk completed 0.88secs behind to take silver, whereas compatriot and defending Olympic champion Christopher Grotheer secured bronze, 1.07secs behind Weston.
The stress to ship was there. The 28-year-old from Redhill was the heavy favorite to high the rostrum in Italy having dominated the game up to now four-year cycle, however no British man had received an Olympic skeleton gold medal earlier than.
He additionally carried the burden of Workforce GB teetering on the sting of total disappointment on the Video games, having been tipped for a file medal haul at Milan-Cortina however watching these ambitions start to slide away.
Weston blocked out the noise of ‘helmet-gate’, of seeing his peer Vladyslav Heraskevych disqualified from the competitors simply moments earlier than the primary warmth, and of the catastrophe that was Beijing 2022, the place GB did not win a skeleton medal for the primary time since 2002.
He put all of it apart so as to add the Olympic crown to his two World Championship titles and three Crystal Globes – the general World Cup trophies.
4 years in the past, it was a special story.
His overwhelming disappointment at lacking out on the Olympic podium nearly led to him quitting the game and he instructed BBC Sport earlier this yr he has needed to educate himself to “love the stress and expectation”.
From talking to family and friends to understanding when to relaxation and consuming a lot of pasta, Weston has found out the key to his personal success, and now he is reaping the rewards.
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