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Matt Weston dreams of making more history with ‘bling’ double at Winter Olympics

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Matt Weston is relishing the chance to make British Olympic history by becoming the first athlete to win two gold medals at the same Winter Games.

The 29-year-old demolished the opposition in the men’s skeleton in Cortina on Friday evening, winning by a margin of 0.88seconds from Axel Jungk to become the first British man to win gold in the discipline.

Weston now has the chance to write his name into the record books in the mixed team competition on Sunday, as he will partner up with one of Britain’s three female skeleton athletes – Tabby Stoecker, Freya Tarbit or Amelia Coleman – in a relay event which will also feature Marcus Wyatt, who finished ninth in the men’s competition.

“I think doing the individual is one thing, it’s an amazing position to be in, the fact that I’m here with a gold medal in front of me on the table, it feels absolutely amazing,” Weston said.

“But the chance to be a double Olympic champion – I think we do have a pretty good chance as well.

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“The girls are some extremely fast starters, so that really, really helps in the team event.

“I think we’re going to be one of the strongest set of teams out there, and I think we can definitely take it to the rest of the nations, and hopefully come back with a few more bits of bling.”

Weston admitted his post-race celebrations were limited to three slices of margherita pizza in the food hall at the athletes village, but his medal has been safely stowed away and he reports it to be fully intact after some athletes reported issues with theirs detaching from the ribbon.

He explained: “I’ve got a drawer next to my bed, I kind of tucked it in there very safe, and then as soon as I woke up this morning I was like, ‘It’s still there? Is it a dream?’.

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“I very quickly had a little look at it and made sure it was still there, but it’s been living inside a sock for the past couple of hours, because I haven’t got the box yet from the medal ceremony, so I’m keeping it in a sock to try to keep it as fresh as possible.

“I’m terrified of it falling off the end of the ribbon like I’ve seen some people, so I’m like cradling it half the time, it’s like my little baby, but it’s amazing, I love it.”

Weston pointed to the help he has received from psychologists to marry “Competition Matt” and “Home Matt”, who he says are very different people, as a factor in his success.

He said: “To almost put those two together, it’s a great way of working.

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“It’s tough when you first start working with psychologists, you kind of dig into things that are quite tough sometimes.

“I’m a massive advocate for anything to do with mental health and most people should be speaking to a psych. I think that, no matter whether you feel fine or not, it’s a great way of letting some emotions out and making sure you’re the best version of yourself.”

Weston only began his skeleton career in 2017 and he is now keen to inspire the next generation of athletes in the sport.

He added: “I didn’t know I’d be in this position nine years ago. I think whether it’s to do with sport or life, if an opportunity presents itself like this, you never know where it’s going to take you.

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“So grab it with both hands and give it your all – you never know what position you’re going to be in a few years down the line.”

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Olympic news: World Curling finds no violations amid Canada cheating allegations

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World Curling has addressed the cheating allegations that rocked Friday night’s round-robin game between Canada and Sweden, concluding that “no violations were recorded” during the umpires’ observations that followed the claims.

Tensions flared when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of double-touching the stone. Videos shared online appeared to show Kennedy touching the stone with an extended finger after he released the handle. 

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa

Sweden’s Rasmus Wranaa (L) reacts next to Canada’s Ben Hebert during the curling men’s round-robin between Canada and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 13, 2026. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)

The two opponents exchanged words when Eriksson said, “Maybe it’s okay touching the rock after the hog line, I don’t know.”

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Kennedy then fired back, “Who’s doing it? I haven’t done it once, you can f— off.”

The two continued to exchange words, but it was Kennedy who used profanities to express his displeasure with the accusations. 

“Come on Oskar, just f— off.” 

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World Curling released a statement Saturday addressing the controversy – both the accusations and Kennedy’s sportsmanship. 

Brad Jacobs and Marc Kennedy in action

Canada’s Brad Jacobs and Marc Kennedy in action during the men’s curling round-robin session against Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The event took place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

“Game Umpires are situated at the end of each sheet and physically cannot see every delivery infraction. However, when they are made aware of delivery issues, game umpires are positioned to observe the delivery for three ends. During this period of observation in the Friday evening game, there were no violations recorded,” the statement began, noting that video replay is not used during games and an umpire’s call is final. 

OLYMPIC CURLING MATCH DESCENDS INTO CHAOS AFTER CHEATING ALLEGATIONS PROMPT PROFANE INSULT

The sports governing body also addressed two rule concerns, including “double-touching” and touching the granite. According to the rules, players can retouch the handle multiple times, but “touching the handle after the hog line is not allowed and will result in the stone being removed from play.” 

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Additionally, the stone will be removed from play if the granite is touched at all during “forward motion.”

As a result of the allegations, World Curling said that two officials will be positioned to observe all deliveries beginning with Saturday’s games. 

Canada's Ben Hebert, Canada's Brad Jacobs

Canada’s Ben Hebert, Canada’s Brad Jacobs and Canada’s Brett Gallant compete in the curling men’s round robin between Canada and Sweden during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 13, 2026.  (Tiziana FABI / AFP)

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Canada was also issued a verbal warning from World Curling for Kennedy’s language during the game.

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 “During that meeting it was made clear to those officials that further inappropriate behavior, determined by rule R.19 would result in additional sanctions,” the statement read. According to the rule, Kennedy could face suspension if he commits another violation. 

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Rennes stun Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain to end winless run

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Rennes returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Friday, claiming a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain and handing Lens the chance to reclaim top spot.

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Breezy Johnson reveals Mikaela Shiffrin’s ‘jealous’ reaction to Taylor Swift’s comment on her engagement video

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Breezy Johnson recently shared Mikaela Shiffrin’s amusing reaction to the American pop star Taylor Swift celebrating her engagement. Along with a gold medal, Johnson took home a precious ring as her longtime boyfriend, Connor Watkins, proposed to her near the finish line after she completed her super-G run.

The American skier’s boyfriend popped the question after Johnson’s quest for a super-G title ended with a crash. As she reached the finish line, Watkins was waiting with a ring in his pocket. Reciting lyrics from the Taylor Swift song “Alchemy,” Watkins pulled out the ring with a blue gem at the center of a white sapphire set.

He also gave her a piece of wood which had the lyrics “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” from “Alchemy” carved on it. The iconic proposal did not go unnoticed by Taylor Swift, who congratulated the couple on the Instagram post by referencing another lyric from the song:

“Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me’ CONGRATULATIONS!!!”

Swift’s reaction was noticed by Shiffrin, who was present on the site when the heartwarming moment unfolded. After the American singer’s comment, Shiffrin expressed her jealousy towards Johnson, who opened up about her teammates’ feelings, saying:

“I just lost it. I did not expect the way that it grew legs and ran, and then she commented, and I was like, ‘Oh my God’ and then Mikaela was there, and like I could tell she was like, ‘I’ve never been so jealous of Breezy in my life.’”

Breezy Johnson won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2026 Winter Games.

When will Mikaela Shiffrin compete next at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

  Mikaela Shiffrin during the Women's Team Combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Images via Getty Images)  Mikaela Shiffrin during the Women's Team Combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Images via Getty Images)
Mikaela Shiffrin during the Women’s Team Combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Images via Getty Images)

Mikaela Shiffrin competed at the Winter Olympics in the team combined event and slalom. However, she fell short of registering a win after finishing in fourth and 15th in combined and slalom, respectively.

She still has the opportunity to medal in Italy, and end her no medal draught from the 2022 Beijing Games. Shiffrin will next compete in the slalom. The women’s slalom schedule at the 2026 Winter Olympics is given below:

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  • Feb. 15: Women’s giant slalom run 1 | 4 a.m. ET
  • Feb. 15: Women’s giant slalom run 2 | 7:30 a.m. ET
  • Feb. 18: Women’s slalom run 1 | 4 a.m. ET
  • Feb. 18: Women’s slalom run 2 | 7:30 a.m. ET