ON THE PISTE
Team GB win second gold of Winter Olympics in snowboarding days after heroic pair ‘drowned sorrows’ in pub
CHARLOTTE BANKES and Huw Nightingale won Britain’s first Winter Olympic gold medal on snow – after a night out down the pub.
The British snowboarders combined in the mixed team to outpace Italy, France and Australia along the 1,110-metre course in Livigno.
In a sport where the slightest miscalculation on a landing could result in serious trouble, the pair held their nerve over two runs under bright blue skies and amid -3 degrees Celsius in the Italian Alps.
It comes just a few days after the pair had drowned their sorrows in a nearby boozer after both missing out doing well in the individual events.
But British fans at the Livigno Snow Park will be raising a glass or two to the duo this evening.
Britain had won gold medals on ice tracks and ice rinks before but never on snow at the Winter Games over 102 years– the previous best had been three bronzes.
Herts-born Bankes – who used to compete for France until 2018 – had previously had a troubled relationship with the Olympics.
She had flopped in Beijing four years ago and then suffered badly in the individual event last week, which saw her break down in tears.
But the decision to change her snowboard on the start gate before the semi-final – officials had to frantically use an electric screwdriver to undo and change the binding – was a masterstroke.
Not only was Bankes, 30, able to win the semi–final quite comfortably, beating the second France team by 0.29 seconds in the process.
But in the Big Final she proved to be a medal banker, emerging from second to first place as she slid past Michela Moioli to win by 0.43 seconds.
It was a stunning snatch down the end, one that a F1 driver would have been proud of, and one of the greatest comeback stories of the Champs.
The very fact she is here in the first place was a major result in itself given that last year she had TWO surgeries on her collarbone, following a fall in training last April.
It was a race against time to be fit for the Games but she has proved that she is by far one of the quickest women on a board on the planet.
Nightingale, 24, knew he had to give Bankes the perfect platform as the men ride out first before the women’s ‘wave’.
And the Bolton ace did what he did at the 2023 World Championship as the GB flag was raised high above the Livigno Snow Park.
The 24-year-old stayed out of danger and was second behind Frenchman Loan Bozzolo while Italy were third and Australia crashed out, giving them the maximum time penalty of 4.16 seconds.
The high-speed course began at an elevation of 1970 metres, consisted of 24 elements and had a vertical drop of 154 metres.
This is Team GB’s second medal of the Milan-Cortina Games and comes two days after Matt Weston’s sensational skeleton gold on Friday night.
