Home / Sports / Bankes Falls Short: Olympic Snowboard Dreams Dashed
Bankes Falls Short: Olympic Snowboard Dreams Dashed
13 Feb
Summary
- Charlotte Bankes finished ninth in the Olympic snowboard cross event.
- She expressed deep disappointment, citing personal mistakes and strategy.
- This outcome puts pressure on the British snow team, facing funding cuts.
Charlotte Bankes experienced a significant setback at the Winter Olympics, finishing ninth in the highly competitive snowboard cross discipline. Despite being a multiple world-level prize winner, Bankes struggled to replicate her usual form on the Olympic stage, a pattern that also occurred in Beijing 2022. She will have another opportunity to compete in the mixed event alongside Huw Nightingale on Sunday.
Bankes was visibly dejected, calling her performance "disappointing" and admitting to making "mistakes" in her choice of lines and positioning. She felt her efforts over the past four years to improve had not translated into success on this crucial day. This result intensifies the scrutiny on the British snow team, which had anticipated multiple medal prospects but has so far seen its best results as fourth-place finishes.
The British team, already under pressure after a funding cut post-Beijing, had identified seven realistic medal opportunities for these Games. Bankes's ninth-place finish, alongside other strong performances that did not yield medals, highlights the challenges the team faces. The upcoming mixed event offers a final chance for Bankes and her teammate to secure a medal for Great Britain.
