Team GB strike gold on historic day at Winter Olympics - but curlers have work to do

In the space of just five hours, records tumbled from the Alps to the Dolomites on a Super Sunday for Team GB.

Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won Britain's first ever Olympic gold on snow with a thrilling victory in the mixed snowboard cross final.

Then Matt Weston combined with Tabitha Stoecker to become the first British athlete to win two golds at the same Winter Games, with victory in the mixed team skeleton.

Britain had never won more than one gold at a single Games before. Now they have three in the space of 48 hours.

And they have hit the bar too. Marcus Wyatt and Freya Tarbit came an agonising fourth in the skeleton, the fourth time Team GB have finished just outside the medals here, another new record.

Perhaps Team GB only do golds?

"I took a lot of confidence from my individual event, I just had to get the job done and we've done it again," beamed Weston. "To win two Olympic golds at the same Games is just a dream. We knew we had the chance but it was another thing actually doing it."

It has taken 102 years but Great Britain finally have a Winter Olympic gold medal on snow. Bankes and Nightingale's win sparked après-ski celebrations that rumbled long into the night at Miky's Disco Club, where Sweet Caroline stuck on permanent repeat.

“It was all about gold. That was the only medal I wanted,” said Bankes.

“I always compete on instinct but I had to go for it. That is the only way I know how to race. I was determined not to have anyone in front of me when I crossed that line.

“It is an immense relief. We have finally made it. Olympic champions sounds amazing. I think you will need to keep saying it for me to believe it.

“I have been struggling for the last week but I finally found my speed when I needed it and made it count. This sport is about fine margins and to pull it off means so much.”

The most medals Great Britain have won at a single Games is five. There are four big chances to come in curling, bobsleigh and freestyle skiing, with some outside hopes too. Scot Kirsty Muir, fourth in freeski big air qualifying, is Monday’s big hope.

"It's incredible," said British team leader Eve Muirhead, a gold medallist in curling four years ago.

"After a slightly slow start, we knew that, but we were patient and we kept the vibe up. We stayed very positive because we knew we were going to have opportunities to come.

"Getting two gold medals on the same day is just incredible and, for Matt, being the most decorated male Winter Olympian of all time is something really special."

Bruce Mouat admitted there was work to do after his world champion curling rink slipped to their second defeat at the Winter Olympics.

Mouat was all smiles after a confident 9-4 win over Germany but not happy after losing 6-5 on an extra end to unbeaten Switzerland.

Swiss skip Yannick Schwaller won his last match against Mouat in Canada and this was a close and tetchy encounter between two rinks with serious medal ambitions.

The loss leaves Mouat with a record of four wins from six matches, sitting in equal third alongside the United States of America in the provisional standings.

Rebecca Morrison's women's rink lost 10-7 in a narrow and closely fought match with Sweden, just 24 hours after they'd beaten reigning world champions Canada.

It leaves seventh in the overall standings with one win from four, meaning today's matches with Switzerland and Denmark increasingly look like must-win affairs.

Jen Dodds, the only player here in Italy who was part of Muirhead's gold medal winning quartet in Beijing, said: "The game could have been different but I am really proud of the fight of the girls, we never gave up, we just kept working away to get some points back on the board."

"We have two big games next, they are probably two must-win games for us now.”