Women’s halfpipe final postponed due to heavy snowfall
Team GB freestyle skier Zoe Atkin stands on the brink of a remarkable Olympic gold medal after organisers pushed the women’s halfpipe final back to Sunday morning following persistent heavy snowfall in Livigno, reports BritPanorama.
The competition, originally set for Saturday evening in the western Italian Alps, was cancelled at 4.20pm UK time when officials determined the conditions made the course unsafe for athletes. The postponement creates a situation where, should the rescheduled final not take place, medals would be distributed according to qualification results, placing Atkin at the top of the podium.
An official statement confirmed: “Unfortunately due to persistent heavy snow and the inability to prepare the pipe in a safe and fair condition, the jury has made the decision to postpone the women’s halfpipe finals to Sunday.”
Atkin, based in the United States, delivered the strongest performance among the 21 competitors during Thursday’s qualification round, scoring an impressive 91.50 points on her opening run. The reigning world champion is making her second Winter Olympics appearance. Should organisers be forced to award medals based on qualifying positions, China’s Li Fanghui would have taken silver after her score of 90.00 points.
Canadian Cassie Sharpe, who finished third with 88.25 points, is in a precarious position, having been stretchered from the venue and hospitalised due to injuries; she has already withdrawn from the final. The Milan-Cortina Games are set to conclude on Sunday, but organisers are left with virtually no room to manoeuvre should adverse weather conditions persist. Rescheduling to Monday or Tuesday is not an option within the Olympic framework.
Crucially, the final must be completed in time for competitors to reach Verona for the Closing Ceremony later that evening. The weather disruption has been notable throughout the week at the Livigno venue, with temperatures dipping to minus 12 degrees Celsius. Earlier in the Games, the women’s snowboard slopestyle final faced delays on Tuesday over safety concerns, while men’s freeski halfpipe qualifying was shifted from Thursday to Friday.
Atkin arrived in Italy with ambitions of surpassing her sister Izzy, who won bronze in the women’s freeski slopestyle at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. A victory for the 23-year-old would represent a historic achievement, marking the first time a British athlete has claimed Olympic gold while wearing skis. The weather-related postponement thus leads to an extraordinary scenario where Atkin could make British sporting history without completing a single run in the final.
