Janine Flock from Austria celebrated a significant achievement on Friday, securing her first victory in the World Cup skeleton circuit in over three years. This triumph makes her the sixth different woman to take home a win in the six races held this season.

Flock’s victory at Winterberg marked her return to the top of the podium for the first time in 21 races, with her last win occurring on December 31, 2021, in Sigulda, Latvia. Czech Republic’s Anna Fernstaedt matched her career-best performance by finishing in second place, while Germany’s Hannah Neise rounded out the top three.

Despite not having secured a win this season, Neise is leading the World Cup standings with a total of 1,188 points, only 23 points ahead of Flock. Meanwhile, the highest-ranking American woman was Mystique Ro, who finished in 11th place.

In the men’s competition, Britain’s Matt Weston claimed victory, subsequently taking the lead in the World Cup series points, surpassing teammate Marcus Wyatt by 1,255 to 1,197. Wyatt ended the race in eighth position. Austrian Samuel Meier took the second spot, followed by Germany’s Christopher Grotheer in third. Nicholas Tucker, representing the U.S., impressed in his World Cup debut by placing 14th, the best result for an American in that category.

In the mixed team skeleton event, the American duo finished in fourth place, with Sara Roderick and Daniel Barefoot narrowly missing out on a medal. The gold medal was claimed by the Chinese team of Zhao Dan and Lin Quiwei, while Flock and Meier secured silver for Austria, and another Chinese pair, Li Yuxi and Yin Zheng, took home the bronze.

Looking ahead, the bobsled competitions will feature the women’s monobob and 2-man events on Saturday at Winterberg. Additionally, in Sigulda, the luge will include men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and singles for women, all scheduled for Saturday. The skeleton World Cup will continue in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on January 10.