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11/21 07:21 CST British skeleton racer Matt Weston wins 1st test race on
controversial new Olympic sliding track
British skeleton racer Matt Weston wins 1st test race on controversial new
Olympic sliding track
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- The first official test race on the
controversial sliding track being rebuilt for the Milan Cortina Olympics was
won by skeleton world champion Matt Weston of Britain on Friday.
Weston beat European champion Samuel Maier of Austria by 0.15 seconds after two
runs in the head-first discipline down the Eugenio Monti track.
It was also the opening skeleton World Cup race of the Olympic season.
Yin Zheng of China finished third, 0.18 behind, after setting the first track
record at 56.79 seconds in his opening run.
Junior world champion Lukas Nydegger of Germany achieved his best World Cup
result in fourth, missing the podium by 0.05.
The top American finisher was Austin Florian in 10th while Cortina native
Mattia Gaspari led host Italy in 17th.
A women's race and a mixed team event were scheduled for later, followed by
bobsled races Saturday and Sunday.
While the competitive part of the track in Cortina is ready, surrounding areas
are still being constructed and no spectators were allowed in for the test
event.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) didn't want millions to be spent
rebuilding the track in Cortina, which had closed in 2008 due to rising
maintenance costs. The IOC had suggested holding sliding events for these games
in nearby Austria or Switzerland instead.
But the Italian government pushed ahead anyway and is spending 118 million
euros ($136 million) remaking the venue.
The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6-22.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
