Austrian woman wins gold in skeleton

Janine Flock won Olympic gold in skeleton and experienced belated satisfaction.

February 14, 2026

From: apa

The 36-year-old from North Tyrol maintained her lead after three runs in the Cortina ice track on Saturday, securing victory in the final run ahead of Germans Susanne Kreher (+0,30 seconds) and Jacqueline Pfeifer (+0,44). In 2018, Flock had missed out on an Olympic medal by just two hundredths of a second after leading the field following three runs; this was not the case again in 2026.

For the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) team, this was their fourth gold medal at these Olympic Games, following snowboarders Benjamin Karl (parallel giant slalom) and Alessandro Hämmerle (cross), as well as alpine skiers Ariane Rädler and Katharina Huber in the team combined event. Overall, it was their 13th medal of 2026 (4 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze).

Flock continued to gain ground.

Flock showed from the start that she was the master of this track. The four-time European champion set a track record of 57,22 seconds in the first run on Friday, which Pfeifer then broke in the second run with a time of 57,18. Nevertheless, it was enough for the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) athlete to take the lead at the halfway point, despite having to withdraw from the overall World Cup title race in January due to a concussion. That title had been secured by Belgian Kim Meylemans, who was unable to contend for a medal in Cortina.

Flock was unbeatable. © ANSA / JURE MAKOVEC

On day two, after a relatively hesitant start (22nd fastest time), Flock steadily improved her time, as she had in every run. She was already sixth at the third split and ultimately had the fastest time. "She showed mental strength; the third run is the most difficult," said teammate and training partner Samuel Maier, who will compete with Flock in the mixed team event on Sunday.

Keywords Winter sports Olympics 2026 Skeleton Janina Flock