ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) - World Cup leader Martins Dukurs edged Yun Sungbin by 0.03 seconds Friday to win a skeleton event.
Yun could not hold a first-run lead of 0.22 as he sought to repeat his victory last year on the Olympia track, which gave South Korea a first win in World Cup history.
Nikita Tregybov of Russia was third Friday, trailing Dukurs by 0.55 seconds.
In the women’s race, Mirela Rahneva of Canada got her first World Cup win, and runner-up Kendall Wesenberg of the United States earned a career-first podium finish.
Dukurs’s second straight win extended his lead over Yun with three races left.
Olympic champion Alexander Tretyakov led the standings until being suspended by the sports governing body. He is implicated in an IOC investigation of Russian doping at the Sochi Olympics.
Tretyakov’s provisional suspension was later lifted and he placed fourth Friday behind Dukurs.
Rahneva, in only her fifth World Cup race, had a commanding 1.83-second winning margin over Californian Wesenberg. Janine Flock of Austria was third, trailing by 1.98.
Jacqueline Loelling of Germany retained her overall standings lead despite placing eighth. Flock stands second with three races left.
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