Ben Sandford finished with a bronze medal at the World Skeleton Championships at the weekend. The 32-year-old from Rotorua has a world ranking of No 13, clocked 3min 39.50s over his four rounds. World No 1 Latvian Martins Dukurs justified his standing by winning the title in 3:37.09 while German Frank Rommel, world No 2, took silver in 3:39.17, just .33s up on Sandford, who in turn finished .15s ahead of fourth-placed Russian Sergei Chudinov. Skeleton racers, who slide head first down an icy track on a sled, are divided into those who are pushers or drivers. Pushers benefit on tracks with a long sprint start. Sandford is one of those who prefers a shorter sprint, which accentuates driving ability. Lake Placid, and St Moritz, where he placed second in the World Cup event last month, both favour Sandford's style. He is a veteran of the circuit, having been competing internationally for close to 10 years. Wanaka's Katharine Eustace finished 13th in the women's final yesterday, on her first full year on the circuit, during which she took three top 10 placings in World Cup races last month.
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