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Winter Olympics: Lizzy Yarnold wins gold medal for Team GB in skeleton

Yarnold celebrates a stunning gold medal victory: Getty Images
Yarnold celebrates a stunning gold medal victory: Getty Images

Team GB star Lizzy Yarnold has realised her dream of winning a second successive Winter Olympics women's skeleton gold medal, while team-mate Laura Deas took bronze.

The 29-year-old Sochi 2014 champion trailed leader Janine Flock of Austria entering the fourth and final run, where she overhauled the deficit to win by 0.45 seconds.

British team-mate Laura Deas claimed bronze by 0.02secs as Britain won two medals in the same event for the first time in Winter Olympics history.

Yarnold trailed by 0.10 overnight after complaining of being dizzy, but cut the deficit as overnight leader Jacqueline Loelling of Germany slipped back to third place after the third run.

The Briton trailed Flock by 0.02 ahead of the fourth and final run, meaning Yarnold was the penultimate slider to take to the track and had to watch her rival's run.

Yarnold clocked a track record of 51.46 to lead by a commanding fashion and Flock floundered, relinquishing her spot on the podium to spark jubilant celebrations among a sizeable British contingent at the Olympic Sliding Centre.

Yarnold consoles Flock (Getty Images)
Yarnold consoles Flock (Getty Images)

Britain have now equalled their record Winter Games medal tally of four - and there are plenty of further opportunities to come.