Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes win gold in the Mixed Team SBX (Snowboard Cross) on February 15th, winning Britain their first ever gold medal in the snow and the nation’s first Olympic podium in SBX.

After disappointing runs in the individual events, with Bankes, former individual world champion, being knocked out in the quarterfinals after medal hopes and Nightingale falling short in the round of 16, there weren’t huge expectations of the pair going into the Mixed Team SBX event, with them saying they were “going out to have fun.”  

However, as soon as the Mixed Team SBX started, this flipped.

Bankes and Nightingale, who were seeded 13th, placed first in both their quarterfinal and semi-final races, proving their form and putting to bed the results of the individual events. The final consisted of Team GB, France’s Loan Bozzolo and Lea Casta, Australia’s Adam Lambert and Josie Baff and Italy’s Lorenzo Sommariva and Michela Moioli.

With Baff winning the title in the Women’s SBX event, the final promised to be fast and thrilling.

The first leg was taken by the men. Bozzolo took an early lead for France, with Nightingale trailing in second. Towards the end of the run, Lambert crashed into Sommariva, taking himself out and putting gold-winning Baff at a major disadvantage for the women’s leg. 

After the men’s run, the order finished with France first, GB in second by 0.14s, Italy in third by 0.66s and Australia in fourth with a devastating 4.16s disadvantage.  

The race stayed in this order until the half-way mark, where Bankes made up significant time, utilising her slipstream and goofy stance in the corners over the regular stance of Casta. 

Moioli seemed to follow Bankes example, making up significant time as Casta falls back in the order. When the riders take the final jump, Bankes is so far ahead that Team GB winning gold is unquestionable.

Moioli and Casta continue to tussle it out until the line, with Italy clinching the silver medal, 0.43s behind Team GB and France 0.55s in bronze.

Notably, Baff showed her class in reducing her disadvantage by 0.74s, but ultimately Lambert’s fall proved too much of a challenge for the Australians to overcome. 

Not only did Nightingale and Bankes make history for Britain in the snow, but they also made further history when Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker won gold in the Mixed Team Skeleton, seeing Britain win two gold medals in a singular day of competition at the Winter Olympics for the first time.

Certainly, February 15^th was an epic for winter sports, taking Britain to three gold medals, making Milano Cortina the most successful in Britain’s Winter Olympic history. 

Image credit: Unsplash