Team GB’s freestyle skiers and snowboarders have won a sack full of medals at the X Games in the US, with less than two weeks to go before the Winter Olympics start. Kirsty Muir won gold in freeski slopestyle, and a silver in Big Air. Her friend Mia Brookes won gold in snowboard Slopestyle and bronze in Big Air, and Zoe Atkin took home the gold medal in the freeski halfpipe.
All three had previously qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics, and were officially announced as part of the Team GB squad over the weekend. While the X Games—an invite-only contest run by the sports TV channel ESPN—doesn’t offer qualification points for the Winter Olympics, it’s widely viewed as the most prestigious contests in the freeskiing and snowboarding calendar outside of the Games. And winning against a talent-packed field with less than two weeks to go is a huge statement of intent from all three women, and a hugely encouraging sign for all three, who are among the UK's top medal hopes for the Winter Olympics.
"Brookes won the slopestyle with a steezy-as-you-like cab 1440, stomped with her signature laidback style"
“It’s great to see Mia performing at that level, she’s in a really good state of mind,” said Ben Kinnear, Brookes’ coach, according to a statement by GB Snowsport. “I’m super hyped, I wasn’t expecting it,” Brookes herself added. “I just came in wanting to have a good time and we got there in the end.”
Topping the podium will obviously be a huge confidence boost for all three British women, but just as impressive are the tricks that got them there. Muir was throwing a 1440 into her slopestyle run, and stomped an enormous 1620 to claim the Big Air bronze. Brookes won the slopestyle with a steezy-as-you-like cab 1440, stomped with her signature laidback style. And Zoe Atkin’s halfpipe run featured an enormous first hit that took her 16 feet out, and back to back 720s further down.
Here’s hoping that all three women can ride and ski at the same level when their Olympic events start, in just a few days' time.
