Skeleton – Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Men’s Competition – Olympic Sliding Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea – February 15, 2018 - Yun Sung-bin of South Korea in action during the heat. REUTERS/Edgar Su
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, February 16 (Reuters) - South Korea's "Iron Man", Yun Sung-bin rocketed to the men's skeleton gold on Friday and become the first athlete outside Europe or North America to win an Olympic sliding medal after dominating the event at the Pyeongchang Games.
Yun, who won the hosts' second gold of the Games, finished 1.63 seconds ahead of Nikita Tregubov, an Olympic Athlete from Russia, while Briton Dom Parsons took bronze after five-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist Martins Dukurs of Latvia made mistakes in his final run.
Parsons' bronze was the first skeleton medal for a British male since 1948. British women, however, have been an ever constant on the podium since the sport was re-introduced to the Winter Olympics programme in 2002.
The 23-year-old Yun was the most consistent performer throughout the competition and headed into the decisive fourth and final run with a lead of more than a second.
With only a potential disaster to stop him from securing gold, "Iron Man" again delivered the fastest run down the ice to seal his victory.
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Skeleton – Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Men’s Finals – Olympic Sliding Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea – February 16, 2018 - Gold medallist Yun Sung-bin of South Korea poses at the victory ceremony. REUTERS/Edgar Su[/caption]
"He has always been incredible and outstanding, he's a hidden gem and people are starting to recognise his value," said Kim Joon-ho, a childhood friend of Yun's.
Yun, who races in an Iron Man-style helmet and red racing suit, has emerged as a Winter Olympics super hero for the host country, with excited crowds flocking to watch him compete.
Yun thundered over the finish line at over 125 kilometres per hour in front of a euphoric home crowd where he took off his helmet and gave a deep bow on his hands and knees.
"I texted him last night and told him not to feel too much pressure," Yun's friend Kim added, holding a banner saying "Sung-bin! We're here. Let's get the gold!".
"He said he'll do as usual," said Kim.
