MX23RW : Monday, December 16 09:57:13| >> :120:43980:43980:

Lizzy Yarnold wins Team GB's first gold of Sochi Winter Olympics

By , Reporter
Lizzy Yarnold wins Team GB's first gold of the Sochi Olympics in the women's skeleton.

Lizzy Yarnold has won Team GB's first gold of the Sochi Winter Olympics by claiming a convincing victory in the women's skeleton.

Lizzy Yarnold of Great Britain celebrates winning the gold medal during the Women's Skeleton on Day 7 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Sliding Center Sanki on February 14, 2014© Getty Images

The 25-year-old made a couple of mistakes on her final slide but was still fastest down the track on the fourth run of the competition as she clocked 58.09 seconds.

Yarnold won by an emphatic margin of 0.97 seconds from second-placed Noelle Pikus-Pace of America, while Russia's Elena Nikitina picked up a bronze medal on home soil. Pikus-Pace's US compatriot Katie Uhlaendar finished four hundredths of a second short of the podium places.

Her win makes Yarnold only Briton's 10th Winter Olympic champion and ensured that her country retained the women's skeleton title after Amy Williams triumphed in Vancouver 2010.

Yarnold's teammate Shelley Rudman finished 16th in what is likely to be her last Olympic appearance.

ID:138063: cacheID:138063:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2694:
Written by
Joe Fish 
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Elizabeth Yarnold of Great Britain makes a practice skeleton run ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Sanki Sliding Center on February 5, 2014
Read Next:
Team GB's Yarnold sets track record on third run
>
Read more about Lizzy Yarnold Amy Williams Shelley Rudman Noelle Pikus-Pace Elena Nikitina Katie Uhlaendar Winter Sports