Lizzy Yarnold Wins Skeleton Gold Medal at Winter Olympics 2018

Lizzy Yarnold and Laura Deas added two medals to Great Britain's 2018 Winter Olympics tally on Saturday, grabbing the gold and bronze in the women's skeleton, respectively.

Defending champion Yarnold produced a stunning, record-setting final run to take the top spot, while Deas was fast throughout the final day. Yarnold became the first British athlete to defend a Winter Olympics title in the process.

BBC's Dan Walker put the remarkable achievement in perspective:

Germany's Jacqueline Lolling took the silver medal.

Yarnold had a great first run of the day despite a little bump in the tricky 10th corner, and team-mate Deas followed her shortly after with her eye on the top spot after a good exit from Turn 9.

Both fell behind Austria's Janine Flock, however, despite Deas posting her best score so far. Team GB was still impressed:

Germany's Tina Hermann went fastest in the third run and overall, with a time of 51.83 seconds pushing her closer to leader Flock. The results of the third runs moved Yarnold into second place, with Flock holding a narrow advantage.

Belgium's Kim Meylemans took the early lead through the final heats, but all eyes were on the athletes to come.

The United States' Katie Uhlaender came up well short after finishing fourth at the 2014 Olympics, and she struggled to fight back tears after her final run.

Hermann's last run was another quick one, at 51.86 seconds. And though Deas clipped a wall during her final run, she still beat the German to grab the lead ahead of the final sliders.

Per sports writer Chris Goldsmith, that was good news for Britain's medal chances:

Yarnold went even faster, setting a new track record with an incredible time of 51.46 seconds. To top it off, Flock quickly lost speed after a solid start, and she ended up with the 10th fastest time of the final runs, allowing Deas to sneak on to the podium and make it Great Britain's most successful day in Winter Olympics history.