Lizzy Yarnold defends gold medal in women's skeleton

DJ Dunson
Lizzy Yarnold of Britain reacts to her gold medal finish after the final run of the women’s skeleton competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Lizzy Yarnold of Britain reacts to her gold medal finish after the final run of the women’s skeleton competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Lizzy Yarnold of Great Britain emerged from Saturday’s women’s skeleton final with her second Winter Olympics gold medal in the sliding sport. In a rare British duopoly of a Winter Olympics event podium, teammate Laura Deas also earned the bronze.

Yarnold, 29, defended her women’s skeleton gold from Sochi by securing a time of 3:27.28 on her fourth run. In the aftermath of Elise Christie’s disheartening short track speedskating results, Yarnold making history is a positive development for the British. In addition to becoming the first British athlete to defend an Olympic gold medal, she also became the first woman to defend her title in the skeleton.

Deas’ bronze marked the first time two British athletes earned spots on the podium. Yarnold overcame a 0.10 second deficit to leader Jacqueline Loelling overnight after a bout with dizziness. Before her final run, Yarnold trailed Janine Flock by 0.02 set a track record with a 51.46 run. Deas and Yarnold’s medals brought Great Britain’s total medal tally to four, which equals the highest total their nation has ever accumulated in a single Olympic Games.

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DJ Dunson is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at dunsnchecksin@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or Facebook.