Latest PyeongChang 2018 News
Korea’s Iron Man Shows Skeleton Superpowers
Yun Sung-Bin, the self-styled ‘Iron Man’ – whose helmet and suit mimic his cartoon book hero – held the lead after each of four runs on his home track, finishing a comfortable 1.63 seconds ahead of second-placed Nikita Tregubov from Olympic Athletes of Russia and Dom Parsons of Team GB who claimed the bronze medal.
Yun - who won five of the eight men’s World Cup races in 2018 and was a world championship silver medallist in 2017 – became the first Republic of Korea athlete to win a medal in a sliding sport. He is also the first athlete from Asia to medal in the skeleton, in which competitors slide head-first and solo down a twisting ice track.
Yun built a lead of more than one second after three runs, ensuring that only a major error - which he averted – in the final heat could rob him of a highly-anticipated gold medal in front of a home crowd that has closely followed the popular athlete’s Olympic journey.
Yun thundered over the finish line at over 125 kilometres per hour in front of a euphoric home crowd, then took off his helmet and gave a deep bow on his hands and knees.“It is not my effort alone that got me this medal. I would like to thank all my team for helping me, encouraging me. It is still unbelievable that I got the gold medal. I would like to again thank everyone on my team for always encouraging me,” he said.
Medal Standings
