Germany dominate, Zhao wins historic medal for China at IBSF World Cup

BEIJING -- Germans swept golds in the men's and women's skeleton and 2-man bobsleigh, while Zhao Dan clinched China's first medal in the women's skeleton at the IBSF World Cup in Yanqing, Beijing on Friday.

Zhao topped the ranking after the first run with one minute 1.63 seconds, but last season's World Cup overall champion Tina Hermann rallied in the second run to grab gold with a total time of 2:03.81, just 0.02 seconds ahead of runner-up Zhao.

Germany's Christopher Grotheer, gold medalist of the Beijing Winter Olympics, won the men's skeleton with 2:01.20, followed by Chinese duo Chen Wenhao and Yan Wengang.

"Failing to qualify for the Beijing 2022 has become a motivation for me to forge ahead," said Chen.

"Chinese skeleton racers are becoming more mature on the world stage. I need to focus on the details and improve myself. With more than two years to go to the Milano Cortina 2026, I think time is enough for me to get prepared," he added.

In the 2-man bobsleigh, Germany's Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer finished first in 1:58.64, followed by their compatriots Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schuller in second.

The IBSF World Cup in Yanqing runs through Sunday, with the 4-man bobsleigh competitions taking place in the next two days.