Defending champion Martin Dukurs of Latvia is on course for a sixth men's skeleton title ©IBSF

Defending champion Martin Dukurs of Latvia is on course for a sixth men's skeleton title as he leads at the halfway stage of the competition at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Championships in Whistler.

The double Olympic silver medallist has a 0.37sec lead over second-placed Nikita Tregubov of Russia after the first two runs at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Dukurs clocked a combined 1min 44.06, while Tregubov, who claimed the silver medal at last year's Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, recorded a time of 1:44.43.

Tomass Dukurs, the older of the two Latvian brothers, is third at the midway point, a further 0.13 adrift of the leader.

Alexander Tretiakov of Russia, the overall winner of the IBSF World Cup, is fourth and has it all to do going into the concluding runs tomorrow.

Germany's Tina Hermann set a track record in her opening run and leads at the halfway stage ©IBSF
Germany's Tina Hermann set a track record in her opening run and leads at the halfway stage ©IBSF

Olympic champion Yun Sung-bin is even further adrift as the South Korean ended the first day of the event in sixth.

In the women's event, Germany occupy the top three places on the leaderboard, with Tina Hermann in pole position for the gold medal.

Hermann, seeking her first women's skeleton world title since 2016, finished her opening two runs in a time of 1:46.65, 0.35 ahead of defending champion Jacquelline Lölling.

Her time included a blistering track record of 53.17 in her first heat.

Lölling, winner of the silver medal at Pyeongchang 2018, clocked 1:47.00 to lead compatriot Sophia Griebel by 0.47.