
Germany's Christopher Grotheer won gold with a time of 4:01.01, while fellow countryman Axel Jungk finished 0.66 seconds behind in second place to seal Germany's first ever medals in men's skeleton on Friday at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre.
Yan Wengang finished 0.1 seconds behind Jungk to win China's first ever medal in a sliding sport — and in the process become the second man not from Europe or North America to stand on an Olympic skeleton podium, after South Korea's Yun Sung-bin won gold at PyeongChang 2018.
A two-time world champion in men's skeleton, Grotheer couldn't hide his excitement.
"Unbelievable. I am so proud. I can't understand what's happened today," he said after his win. "I went late to bed and I slept to 9:00. It was OK. But it was a really, really long day and a big time to think about tonight."
Grotheer's compatriot Jungk was even more explicit in his elation: "It's crazy, it's unbelievable. I am nearly speechless. I am so f***ing happy to call this wonderful medal my own for the rest of my life."
Grotheer's triumph put Germany on 100 gold medals in Winter Olympic history, making them the third National Olympic Committee to reach the number after Norway (138) and the United States (109).