Lizzy Yarnold wins skeleton gold for GB

Lizzy Yarnold won Great Britain's first gold medal of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics after dominating the women's skeleton from start to finish.

Yarnold, 25, produced a solid final run to finish 0.97 seconds ahead of Noelle Pikus-Pace of United States.



Britain claimed the skeleton title for the second successive Winter Olympics after Amy Williams won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games.



It is Britain's second medal in Sochi and 10th gold in Winter Games history.

Britain's Winter Olympic gold medallists

1924: Men (curling)
1936: Men (ice hockey)
1952: Jeannette Altwegg (figure skating)
1964: Tony Nash & Robin Dixon (two-man bobsleigh)
1976: John Curry (figure skating)
1980: Robin Cousins (figure skating)
1984: Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (figure skating)
2002: Women (curling)
2010: Amy Williams (skeleton)
2014: Lizzy Yarnold (skeleton)
* Madge Syers won figure skating gold at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London

Britain's reigning world champion Shelley Rudman, who won silver at the 2006 Olympics, finished 16th.

Yarnold led after every round of the competition and held a 0.44 second advantage after the first two runs on Thursday.



She extended that to 0.78 secs after setting a new track record in Friday's third run before finishing in a total of three minutes, 52.89 seconds, ahead of Pikus-Pace and bronze medallist Elena Nikitina of Russia.



UK Sport set Team GB a target of three to seven medals in Sochi and, after Jenny Jones won snowboard slopestyle bronze on Sunday, Great Britain are edging closer to that target.



Yarnold's success means British Skeleton maintained its proud tradition of securing a medal in each of the six Olympic Games the sport has featured in, dating back to 1928.



She grew up in Kent and competed in heptathlon events as a child, having been inspired to take up the sport by watching Denise Lewis win Olympic gold at the Sydney 2000 Games.



Yarnold took up skeleton in 2008 after being recruited through UK Sport-backed talented identification programme 'Girls4Gold'.


Her medal will be presented at a ceremony at Olympic Park at 1630 GMT Saturday.