Matt Weston earned Britain’s first total World Cup males’s skeleton title in 16 years after ending joint-fourth within the season’s ultimate occasion.
Weston pipped Germany’s Christopher Grotheer to gold on the final day of the competition in Lake Placid, United States.
“I wasn’t anticipating this in any respect however it’s an incredible feeling,” he stated.
The title is received by the athlete who secures essentially the most factors throughout eight World Cup races in Asia, Europe and North America.
Weston, 27, thought he must accept silver behind Grotheer once more – like he did final season – together with his rival main by 75 factors after seven races.
Nonetheless, the German completed seventeenth at Lake Placid and that allowed Weston to grow to be the primary British man since Kristan Bromley in 2008 to win gold.
“With Grotheer being as constant as he’s, it was exhausting to see him ending down the sphere right here however that is what occurred,” added Weston, who additionally received World Championship and European Championship silver this season.
“It wasn’t my finest day personally when it comes to my very own efficiency both however, after such a troublesome season, it is a large increase to my confidence going into subsequent yr and constructing as much as the subsequent Olympics.”
Weston is simply the fourth Briton – following Bromley, Shelley Rudman and Lizzy Yarnold – to finish a profession hat-trick of World Championship, European Championship and total World Cup victories.
Additionally on the Lake Placid occasion, fellow Briton Marcus Wyatt received silver after lacking out on victory by simply 0.04 seconds to China’s Yin Zheng.
Reigning European champion Wyatt completed fifth within the total standings, whereas ninth-placed Craig Thompson ensured three British males completed within the high 10 for the primary time since 2008.