Mia Brookes Narrowly Misses Olympic Medal After Bold Trick Gamble
British snowboard sensation Mia Brookes has expressed zero regrets after a daring final-run gamble cost her an Olympic medal in the women's Big Air final at the Livigno Snow Park. The 19-year-old finished in a heartbreaking fourth place, agonisingly close to the podium, following a penalised attempt at a historic trick she had never before performed on snow.
A Last-Gasp Bid for Gold
Starting her third and final run in third position, Brookes opted for an audacious backside 1620—a complex manoeuvre requiring four and a half rotations. This bold move was a calculated risk to vault her to the top of the standings. Despite successfully completing the rotations, judges deducted points for an awkward landing, causing her to slip down the order behind Japan's gold medallist Kokomo Murase.
"I could have played it safe with a 1440 and potentially secured bronze, but I chose the 1620 with a chance to win," Brookes stated. "It's a really special trick for women's snowboarding. Landing it would have been insane. I wasn't planning it and didn't want to do it, but sometimes you must grit your teeth and go for it. I'm just stoked I tried and am not in a hospital bed."
Music and Momentum in the Mix
An avowed heavy metal fan who blasts music during her runs, Brookes joked about her execution. "I thought I had it, but I gave it too much power. I was listening to my music too loud!" she quipped. The final saw Murase, the only female athlete to have landed the backside 1620 in competition, edge out New Zealand's Zoe Sadowski Synnott for gold, while South Korea's Seungeun Yu clinched bronze.
Scoring Breakdown and Team GB Disappointments
With the cumulative score of the two best runs counting, Brookes posted 80.75 on her first jump and a slightly lower score on her second, more conservative attempt. Her total of 159.50 fell significantly short of Yu's bronze-winning 171.0, marking a disappointing conclusion to a day that had promised much for Team GB.
Earlier on Monday, British teammate Kirsty Muir missed a ski slopestyle medal by less than half a point, and the mixed doubles curling team suffered a defeat in the bronze medal play-off.
Looking Ahead to Slopestyle Redemption
Brookes has vowed to go all out for redemption in her favoured slopestyle competition next Monday, where she aims to become Britain's youngest Winter Olympic medallist in 78 years. As a strong favourite, having won the world title at age 16 in 2023 and gold at the prestigious X Games in Aspen last month, she remains undeterred.
"I'm going all out for slopestyle now—I'll probably attempt a 1620 there, too, but we'll see," Brookes added. "I believe everyone will be just as stoked about me trying a 1620 as if I'd won a medal." Her fearless approach continues to captivate fans and redefine women's snowboarding.
