Shelley Rudman has been crowned women's skeleton world champion in St Moritz after completing four dominant runs to claim victory by over half a second from American Noelle Pikus-Pace.
Rudman took a huge one-second advantage into Friday's final two runs and although she was reeled in slightly by the USA silver medallist, she held on for a victory margin of 0.57 seconds.
But there was some disappointment for Great Britain team-mate Lizzy Yarnold, who slipped behind Canadian Sarah Reid on the final run and had to settle for fourth place.
Rudman, the 2006 Olympic silver medallist, had won a World Cup race in Winterberg in December and her latest success will boost hopes of going one better at next year's Sochi Olympics.
Rudman told Eurosport: "It went really well yesterday and I knew there was more of that coming today, but I still didn't expect to win, so I'm very happy."
Rudman becomes only Great Britain's second world skeleton champion after her partner Kristan Bromley, who won gold in Altenberg in 2008.
