Winter Olympics digest: are Team GB’s skeleton ‘skinsuits’ legal?

Row escalates over Team GB ‘skinsuits’

US former world champion Katie Uhlaender has publicly questioned if Team GB’s new skeleton ‘skinsuits’ are legal and give the British athletes an unfair advantage.

The Daily Mail reports that Team GB’s “game-changing skinsuit” are said to help aerodynamics and have drawn formal complaints from rival nations in PyeongChang.

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Lizzy Yarnold, Laura Deas and Dom Parsons have dominated in skeleton training runs and this has led Uhlaender to question the suits.

She said: “If you see something that is questionably illegal, it is ok to ask. In this case it’s not in a race, it’s outside of that and so I’d rather ask the question now than during the race, just get it out of the way and make sure everyone is on a fair playing field. I’ve been focusing on sliding so I have no idea, but I am curious to know if they’re going to look into it.”

The Guardian reports that Team GB were forced to deny they were breaking any rules. The “cutting-edge equipment” was given the all-clear ahead of tomorrow’s start of the skeleton competition.

Shaun White wins historic gold for the USA

Snowboarding legend Shaun White won his third Olympic Games gold medal in the halfpipe after a thrilling final run in PyeongChang today.

White’s gold is America’s 100th in the Winter Olympics and the 31-year-old was overjoyed to see his name in first place.

He told the BBC: “I was so overwhelmed with happiness. I’ve been through so much to get here. Waiting for my final score was awful and amazing at the same time. I knew I did a great ride and I was proud of that and I could walk away with my head high.”

Jamaican bobsleigh coach quits – and she owns the sled

Jamaica’s women’s bobsleigh coach Sandra Kiriasis has resigned just days before the competition starts at PyeongChang 2018.

The BBC reports that Kiriasis, who owns the team’s sled, was asked to change roles from driving coach to track performance analyst. The German refused, says the BBC, because it would mean no access to the athletes.

She said: “I have never known such disappointment in this sport, in my life. The athletes have told me they don’t understand why this has happened as they have no problem with me and we have a good relationship.”