CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Confident world number one and hot favourite Matt Weston opted to skip the final Olympic skeleton training runs on Wednesday, satisfied with his three fastest and one second in his four runs so far as he targets Britain's first men's gold in the event.
Weston, a double world champion and three-times World Cup winner, is his country's biggest hope for a gold medal at the Games - all the more so after Britain's failure to secure a medal of any sort in the opening days.
Weston says he is "embracing the pressure" and certainly looked comfortable on the Cortina track this week, posting the fastest times in his last three runs.
British officials said his absence was due to "optimising recovery" ahead of Thursday's first two competition runs.
German duo Christopher Grotheer and Axel Jungk, gold and silver medallists respectively four years ago, also opted to sit out Wednesday's session.
In their absence, Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych posted the fastest time of Wednesday's first run, wearing his "helmet of remembrance" honouring those killed in the war with Russia.
He then opted out of the second run after speaking to the media for a lengthy period.
The International Olympic Committee has said Heraskevych will not be allowed to wear the helmet in competition, though he has said he plans to defy the ban.
Britain's Marcus Wyatt, who finished third in the World Cup after winning the only two races Weston did not take, used both training runs on Wednesday but clocked times some way adrift of his compatriot's best.
Britain have won three golds in women's Olympic skeleton but only three bronzes in the men's - two of those coming in 1928 and 1948.
Beijing four years ago was the first time the country failed to win a medal in the sport.
After Thursday's first two competition runs the medals will be decided by two more on Friday evening.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
