British athletes pick the bones out of dismal skeleton campaign at Beijing 2022

Great Britain’s 20-year run of Winter Olympic skeleton success is over after a dismal series of results in Yanqing on Friday.

Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt, both of whom have achieved World Cup podium places this season, wrapped up their four-run campaigns in 15th and 16th places respectively.

Meanwhile Laura Deas and Brogan Crowley sit 21st and 22nd respectively after the first two runs of the women’s event which concludes on Saturday, with the pair only besting athletes from South Korea, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

It means Britain’s streak of Olympic skeleton medals stretching back to 2002 – and including three in Pyeongchang four years ago – is over, and will raise inevitable questions over the return for the £6.5million pumped into the sport by UK Sport during the current Olympic cycle.

Weston said: “I can’t lie, I’m disappointed where we finished. I feel like we had a lot more potential in what we can do as athletes, and it’s a bit disappointing to have my first Games finish like this.”

Weston finished a total of 4.23 seconds behind winner Christopher Grotheer of Germany. Grotheer’s compatriot Axel Jungk was second, with China’s Wengang Yan taking bronze.

It was a similar story in the women’s race where Pyeongchang bronze medallist Deas seemed perplexed about her slow time despite a relatively clean run, finishing a total of 1.80 seconds off leader Jaclyn Narracott of Australia.

Deas said: “That’s certainly not the outcome I wanted. I think I slid very well today. I came to the start block in a great frame of mind. I put together two good runs that I think I can be proud of.

“I can’t tell you right now why the speed wasn’t there. I don’t know. I think I did myself proud. I’ve worked incredibly hard for the last four years to get to the start block today, and I feel like I did execute exactly what I wanted to do.”