Zoe Atkin claims bronze in women’s ski halfpipe
Team GB’s Zoe Atkin has won women’s ski halfpipe bronze in Livigno on Sunday to claim Great Britain’s fifth medal of their record-equalling Winter Olympics, reports BritPanorama.
The 23-year-old qualified in first place and led after the first run of the final, wherein the single best score from three runs counts in the standings. However, she fell behind Chinese competitors Eileen Gu and Li Fanghui after crashing on her second run. Despite improving her score to 92.5 on her third attempt, Atkin had to settle for third place.
Gu, the defending champion, overcame a first-run error to secure her first gold of the Games, enhancing her lead with a stunning final run score of 94.75. Li then notched an improved second run score of 93.0, just enough to edge out Atkin.
Atkin’s performance matched that of her sister Izzy, who won bronze in ski slopestyle in 2018. The competition finals were initially scheduled for Saturday evening but were postponed due to persistent heavy snowfall in Livigno, as confirmed by an official statement citing safety concerns for preparing the pipe.
When the event was eventually held on Sunday, sunny conditions greeted the athletes, enabling the competition to proceed. While no British athlete has ever claimed Olympic gold in skiing, there is optimism surrounding Atkin’s potential for future success.
With her bronze, Atkin contributed to Team GB’s achievement of matching their previous best haul of five medals, which they also attained in 2014 and 2018. The current tally of three golds has marked this as Britain’s most successful Winter Games, surpassing previous records. Approximately 55 British athletes travelled to Italy for this competition.
In the lead-up to these Games, Team GB has received substantial investment of more than £32.5 million in Lottery funding distributed across winter sports throughout the current Olympic cycle. Before the games, Chef de mission Eve Muirhead expressed confidence in the squad’s preparations, noting the high potential within the team and a collective aim to challenge traditional strongholds in winter sports.
Atkin’s achievement is a reminder of the ever-thin line between triumph and defeat in Olympic competition, with each medal reflecting the dedication of not only the athletes but the support system behind them.
