There was a double celebration in Konigssee as Team GB’s Lizzy Yarnold was crowned skeleton World Cup champion as compatriot and fellow Sochi-bound slider Shelley Rudman took home European Championship silver.
Yarnold had led the overall World Cup standings from the first event of the season and held a 225-point lead over American Noelle Pikus-Pace heading into Germany.
Pikus-Pace recorded the fastest first run, timed at 52.92 seconds, while Yarnold was sitting ninth with her run clocked at 54.17.
But the second runs were cancelled because of bad weather meaning that 25-year-old Yarnold took the World Cup title by 152 points having racked up four golds, two silvers and a bronze in a remarkable season that sees her lead the world rankings.
And the Team GB celebrations didn’t stop there as Rudman recorded the third fastest run of 53.42 to take home a silver medal with the World Cup event doubling up as the European Championships - to go with her third-place in the World Cup rankings.
With Pikus-Pace claiming victory but being ineligible for a medal the gold went to Austrian Janine Flock, with Rudman earning silver and Michelle Steele of Austria claiming bronze.
This is Rudman’s fifth European medal having claimed gold in 2009 and 2011, with a bronze in between and having kicked it all off with silver in 2006.
© Sportsbeat 2014