Britain Wins First-Ever Mixed Team Skeleton Gold

Weston & Stoecker secure historic skeleton victory

Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker win Britain's first-ever gold in mixed team skeleton at 2026 Winter Olympics.

“I took a load of ⁠confidence from the individual event, and I almost had ‌to say to myself, 'Be boring and just get the job done...”

Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker made history by winning Britain's first-ever gold medal in the Olympic skeleton mixed team event at the Milano Cortina Games. Weston, who previously won the men's individual gold, teamed up with Stoecker to secure the top spot, setting a track record with their final run.

Germany's Axel Jungk and Susanne Kreher took silver, narrowly beating compatriots Christopher Grotheer and Jacqueline Pfeifer, who settled for bronze, by just 0.01 seconds. This thrilling finish capped off an incredible performance by Weston, who became the first British athlete to win two gold medals at a single Winter Olympics.

Matt Weston delivered an incredible performance, overcoming a fourth-place deficit of three-tenths of a second after Tabitha Stoecker's run. He showcased his exceptional skill and calmness, which has earned him three successive World Cup titles and a first men's Olympic skeleton gold for Britain. Weston blasted off at his start, making up the deficit almost immediately and finding the perfect line to win by 0.17 seconds.

🥇 The FIRST-EVER skeleton mixed team Olympic #Gold medal goes to Great Britain!

Tabitha STOECKER and Matt WESTON [GBR] slide to success at #MilanoCortina2026! 🛷✨ With Matt Weston winning his second gold of the Games. 🤩@IBSFsliding | @TeamGB | #MedalAlert | #Samsung |… pic.twitter.com/W6Rdtt1R7c

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 15, 2026

This victory marks Weston's second gold medal of the Games, making him the first British athlete to win two gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. He and Stoecker set a track record with their winning time of 1:59.36, beating Germany's Susanne Kreher and Axel Jungk by 0.17 seconds.

“Luckily, I felt like I knew what ‌I needed to do,” Weston said. “I took a load of ⁠confidence from the individual event, and I almost had ‌to say to myself, 'Be boring and just get the job done.

“It was probably my best run of the five, between the individuals. The individual event is amazing, and I’m very pleased with that, but doing it as a team in an individual sport, and to have my teammate by my side, being Olympic champions, and for me two times, is absolutely mental.”

Tabitha Stoecker was probably thinking she'd blown her chances when she climbed off her sled and saw a 'four' next to her name, indicating she'd finished fourth in the individual event. But Matt Weston came to her rescue, delivering an incredible performance to secure gold in the mixed team event. He overcame a 0.3-second deficit, showcasing the skill and calmness that earned him three World Cup titles and an individual Olympic gold.

"Thanks,” she said. “I can't believe it. It's a team effort, and when Matt came down, and we were in the green, I was just in shock.”

Britain's decision to pair Matt Weston with Tabitha Stoecker for the mixed team event paid off big time, despite initially topping the World Cup rankings with Marcus Wyatt and Stoecker. They opted to stick with the pairing that finished second in the last two world championships, and it proved inspired.

Weston's win makes him the first Briton to win two medals at a Winter Olympics, capping an amazing week after his singles disappointment four years ago. 

Marcus Wyatt and Freya Tarbit finished fourth in the mixed team skeleton event, just behind Germany's Jacqueline Pfeifer and Christopher Grotheer, who took bronze. Meanwhile, Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker secured gold, setting a track record with their final run at the Milano Cortina Games.

This victory cements Britain's position as the most successful skeleton nation in Olympic history, despite not having a track in the country. It's also a historic moment for Team GB, marking their third gold medal at a single Winter Games, following Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale's win in the Mixed Snowboard Cross earlier on Sunday.

The team event is decided by ‌the aggregate of both athletes' times, but there is extra jeopardy as they each have to wait for a green signal from a light display rather than automatically starting the clock when ‌they cross a beam as in singles, with the threat of huge time penalties for a false start.

Italy’s Valentina Margaglio made some unwelcome Olympic history when she was the first to be penalised for going too early, but she was in good company as Austrian Janine Flock, who won the women's individual gold on Saturday, did the same.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry was among the spectators, and her last visit to the Sliding Centre was quite emotional - she had to confirm the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych due to his “helmet of remembrance” tribute to athletes killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Coventry, who has been praised for her handling of the situation, met with Heraskevych and offered concessions, but ultimately upheld the IOC's rules.