Coltman and Grotheer win World Cup skeleton season openers at Pyeongchang

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Amelia Coltman of Britain won the first women's skeleton World Cup race of the season Saturday, with Janine Flock of Austria finishing second and Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil placing third.

It was the first World Cup skeleton medals for both Coltman and Silveira. Flock got a top-three finish for the 47th time in her World Cup career.

In the men's race, reigning Olympic champion Christopher Grotheer of Germany prevailed in the season opener. British teammates Marcus Wyatt and Matt Weston were second and third, respectively.

The top American sliders both finished 14th — Katie Uhlaender, who is bidding for a sixth Olympics berth in 2026, finished there in the women's race while Austin Florian finished there in the men's race.

There are two more World Cup skeleton races on the 2018 Olympic track on Sunday. The skeleton tour then moves to Yanqing, China, next weekend.

World Cup bobsled races — typically held in conjunction with skeleton races — start for the season in Altenberg, Germany, on the weekend of Dec. 7-8. The bobsled and skeleton seasons run through the world championships, which will be held at Lake Placid, New York, in March.

World Cup luge season starts Nov. 30 in Lillehammer, Norway.