Matt Weston might have hated history as a school kid but with one of the great Winter Olympic performances, he became part of it.
In temperatures well below freezing, he lit up the Cortina Sliding Centre in the skeleton mixed team final to become an instant national treasure.
The 28-year-old faced a 0.30s deficit to the lead after partner Tabby Stoecker’s run, but clawed it back and more.
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“I'm extremely proud of what I've been able to achieve in the past couple of days,” he said after adding to Friday’s individual title.
“I'm a bit more in control of my emotions this time. I'm just absolutely over the moon. I'm buzzing and I don't know what's next to be honest. Probably the pub.
“I think my teachers probably watching me are going to go, how is that the same Matt Weston that was at school? I was a bit of a character, let's say, but I've calmed down.
“I'm way more sensible. I'm way more a driven person now. I now have a goal, sport gave that to me.
“It gave me a purpose, gave me something to focus on and channel my energy.”
There was a hell of a lot energy at this $115m venue, with union flags everywhere you looked.
For the past 42 years, Torvill and Dean’s Bolero routine has been replayed so often, if you shut your eyes and you can hear the opening notes.
And while careering around an ice track at 125kph with your chin grazing the ground, is perhaps not as pretty, this might well joins it as Britain’s iconic winter moment.
Mixed team skeleton is just like the regular version, only better. Two athletes, one run each and the lowest combined time takes the gold, leaving no margin for error.
Weston and Stoecker were top seeds and went last but Stoecker, who trained as a trapeze artist before switching, clocked the fourth-fastest time.
A medal was on the cards but Weston doesn’t do silver or bronze.
He had no idea how Stoecker had done, he just shut his visor and went faster than ever before. As he inched into the lead and the clock flashed green, you knew it was done.
In sliding to the top of the leaderboard, he booted roommate Marcus Wyatt and Freya Tarbit off the podium. The British pair were gutted but equally in awe. As was everyone else.
“I had a lot of faith that he was going to lay down another exceptional run,” said Stoecker.
“It's always nerve-wracking but the flow that he has on the sled is just unmatched. From about halfway down I could feel that the gold was coming.
“I got to put my gold medal on my niece and nephew, that's just a moment that is going to last forever.”
Weston now has a summer wedding to prepare for and Stoecker’s partner Pat Atkin is down to be his best man.
“All our families are really close and you know I consider Matt one of my best friends,” she said.
The rest of the nation can now consider him all-time great.
Sportsbeat 2026