CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Four-time Olympian Janine Flock became Austria's first Olympic gold medalist in skeleton and the oldest women's Olympic skeleton champion in history at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games here on Saturday.
The 36-year-old set the tone in the opening heat with a track-record time of 57.22 seconds, and delivered four remarkably consistent runs to secure victory with a combined time of 3:49.02.
"I can't believe it. It doesn't feel real right now. It's a dream to do this. I'm very proud, I'm very happy and very thankful that we achieved that," said the Austrian veteran, who had never stood on the Olympic podium in her previous three appearances - finishing fourth at PyeongChang 2018, ninth at Sochi 2014 and 10th at Beijing 2022.
Flock admitted she was momentarily unsure of the milestone she had achieved.
"We wrote history, right? It's incredible. I know [Austrian skeleton racer] Martin Rettl won silver at Salt Lake City 2002. I was watching footage of his Olympic run this summer and was really impressed by how he was sliding back then. That was a really cool inspiration," she said.
Flock's four runs showed consistency, as she clocked 57.22, 57.26, 57.26 and 57.28 seconds.
"I couldn't tell what my time was. I just knew I put down four really consistent runs and hoped that it was enough," she said.
Germany's trio of Susanne Kreher, Jacqueline Pfeifer and Hannah Neise finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
China's Zhao Dan came eighth, improving by one place from her result in Beijing four years ago to achieve the country's best-ever Olympic finish in the women's skeleton. Her teammate Liang Yuxin ranked 21st among the 25 competitors.
"It is my second Winter Olympics. I feel more mature and confident, knowing how to control myself better and concentrate on the race," said 23-year-old Zhao, who served as one of China's flagbearers at the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022.
The mixed team event is scheduled for Sunday.
