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S. Korean Yun Sung-bin wins first skeleton World Cup title

February 5, 2016

South Korea’s Yun Sung-bin gives an interview after winning the seventh leg of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Feb. 5, 2016. (Photo courtesy of the Korea Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation / Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — South Korean skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin captured the country’s first-ever World Cup title in Switzerland on Friday, ending a winning streak by a dominant European rival in the process.

Yun won the seventh leg of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup in St. Moritz with the combined time of 2 minutes and 18.26 seconds after two runs.

Martins Dukurs of Latvia, who’d won the first six World Cups, and his brother Tomass Dukurs tied for second at 2:18.33.

Yun is widely viewed as South Korea’s best skeleton medal hope at the 2018 Winter Games on home track in PyeongChang. He had won a medal in each of his first six World Cups before reaching the top of the podium in St. Moritz.

Yun was third after the first run at 1:09.44, behind Martins and Tomass. The South Korean posted the fastest time in the field in the second run with 1:08.82 to narrowly defeat the brothers for the historic title.

Another South Korean, Lee Han-sin, had the best World Cup finish of his career at 10th place.

With one more race left, Martins Dukurs remains the World Cup points leader with 1,560, while Yun is still in second with 1,365 points. Tomass Dukurs is in third with 1,348 points.

The final World Cup race will be held in Konigssee, Germany, at the end of this month.

Yun, 21, picked up skeleton in 2012 as a high school senior, and finished in 16th at the Sochi Winter Games two years later. During the 2014-2015 IBSF World Cup series, Yun picked up one silver and two bronze medals.