The mixed team skeleton event made its Olympic debut on Sunday at the Cortina Sliding Centre, bringing the curtain down on skeleton competition at the Milan Cortina 2026. The new format marked the first time skeleton athletes could win two medals at the same Games, a feat achieved by Britain’s Matt Weston.
Already the men’s gold medallist, Weston delivered another outstanding run after teammate Tabitha Stoecker lost time near the end of her heat. Weston clawed back several tenths of a second, set a track record, and secured a second gold for Team GB. For Stoecker, it was her first Olympic medal at her debut Games, after finishing fifth in the women’s individual event.
Weston became the first male skeleton athlete to win multiple Olympic gold medals, joining fellow Brit Lizzy Yarnold as the only skeleton sliders with more than one gold.
Germany’s Susanne Kreher and Axel Jungk claimed silver, while compatriots Jacqueline Pfeifer and Christopher Grotheer took bronze at the venue known as the “House of Speed.”
In the mixed team format, 15 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete- had one run each, with the lowest combined time deciding the medals. Unlike the luge relay, athletes started separately with reaction-timed launches, a system that led to several false starts and penalties. Despite being 2025 world champions, Americans Mystique Ro and Austin Florian finished seventh, while compatriots Kelly Curtis and Dan Barefoot placed tenth.
