Today at the Winter Olympics: Charlotte Bankes can’t deliver first British medal
Charlotte Bankes missed out on an expected medal in the women’s snowboard-cross as Great Britain’s disappointing start to the Winter Olympics continued in Beijing.
Bankes, the reigning world champion, was eliminated at the quarter-final stage in an event won by American veteran Lindsey Jacobellis.
Bankes started as a strong favourite to land Great Britain’s first Olympic gold medal on snow, and cruised through her individual qualifying round and her eighth final.But despite leading until the halfway stage in her four-athlete quarter-final, she was pushed wide enabling rivals Tess Critchlow and Belle Brockhoff to nudge in front and take the two qualifying places for the next round.
Jacobellis proved a popular winner of the event, finally claiming her first Olympic title 16 years after losing gold in Turin after crashing whilst trying to execute an unnecessary trick on her final jump.
Britain’s Charlie Guest finished 21st in the women’s slalom but Alex Tilley failed to finish.
I will try to re-set again but I don’t know how to do better. I have never been in this position before and I don’t know how to handle it.- Mikaela Shiffrin after her second DNF of the Games
TV Guide
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