Great Britain’s Dom Parsons is in Winter Olympics medal contention in fourth place at the halfway stage of the men’s skeleton competition.

South Korea’s Yun Sung-bin led by 0.74 seconds with a total time of one minute 40.35 seconds after two runs on Thursday in a competition which concludes with two further runs on Friday.

Parsons was equal fifth after the first run and trailed Yun by 0.91secs overall after the second, 0.03 behind Latvia’s Martins Dukurs in bronze medal position.

Yun dominated the World Cup circuit and it appears the race will be in the battle for silver and bronze, with Parsons very much in contention.

Home favourite Yun set a track record on his first run of 50.28 seconds, with Parsons clocking 50.85secs, the same time as Latvia’s Martins Dukurs.

Briton Jerry Rice finished in 51.06 to be 11th and fell a place to 12th after two runs.

Nikita Tregubov of the Olympic Athletes of Russia is second, 0.74 behind Yun, while fifth-placed Tomass Dukurs of Latvia trails Parsons by 0.20.

Defending champion Lizzy Yarnold and team-mate Laura Deas begin their campaigns in the corresponding women’s event on Friday.