Intro:

Victory for Russia's Maria Orlova in the women's skeleton - and a win for USA pair, Cherrelle Garrett and Elana Meyers Taylor, in the women's two-person Bobsleigh at the FIBT World Cup event in Altenberg, Germany on Friday (9th January).

Script:

Maria Orlova of Russia edged Olympic champion Elizabeth Yarnold by four hundredths of a second to claim her first skeleton World Cup win in Germany on Friday.

Orlova produced runs of 59.41 and 59.24 seconds for a combined time of one minute, 58.65 seconds.

Britain's Yarnold had a combined time of 1:58.69.

Russia's Elena Nikitina was 22 hundredths-of-a-second back in third after recording the fastest second run, while Germany's Tina Hermann and Sophia Griebel were joint fourth.

After three of eight events, World Cup newcomer Tina Hermann from Germany leads the overall skeleton standings in the Viessmann FIBT World Cup Tour, with 584 points.

In the two-women Bobsleigh Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Cherrelle Garrett took the win for their third straight World Cup victory on Friday.

Meyers Taylor and Garrett were fastest with their first run and quick enough in the second to win by 11 hundredths-of-a-second from Elfje Willemsen and Annelies Holthof of Belgium.

Canada's Kaillie Humphries and Melissa Lotholz were third, 0.35 seconds back.

Meyers Taylor and Garrett lead the standings with 675 points, ahead of Humphries and Lotholz on 584, with Greubel Poser and Gibbs on 576.

The men's race is scheduled for Saturday.