Kirsty Muir Targets Big Air Redemption Following Olympic Slopestyle Agony
Just 48 hours after experiencing what she describes as "a bit of heartbreak" in the freestyle skiing slopestyle final, Team GB's Kirsty Muir has regrouped and refocused her energies on Monday's Big Air competition. The 21-year-old Scottish athlete narrowly missed out on an Olympic bronze medal by a mere 0.41 points in an emotionally charged slopestyle event that left her in floods of tears.
Processing Olympic Disappointment
Speaking exclusively from the Red Bull athlete chalet on the outskirts of Livigno, Muir reflected on the challenging emotional journey following her fourth-place finish. "I'm just quite mixed," the softly-spoken Scot admitted. "Obviously missing out on an Olympic medal, being that close is hard and it's going to be hard for anyone, no matter what competition. Fourth is such a hard place to be in, but even more so at the Olympics."
Muir demonstrated remarkable resilience during the slopestyle final, recovering from errors on her first two runs to deliver an excellent third performance. However, her score of 90.25 wasn't quite sufficient to dislodge Canada's Megan Oldham from the bronze medal position. "All my friends, family, supporters from home have all been like, fourth at the Olympics, fourth in the world, congrats, and I feel that as well," Muir acknowledged, "but it's just hard because you want that podium."
Strategic Decisions Under Pressure
The pressure mounted significantly ahead of Muir's final slopestyle run, particularly after she failed to stick her penultimate jump - a double cork 1080 - during her opening two attempts. "I was going for a harder grab in my double because I knew that's what I needed to do to try and win," she explained of her tactical approach.
Muir consciously avoided watching her competitors' performances during the competition, explaining: "I can't do that during a competition because it just gets in my head, so I didn't know where it would be in the standings. I thought it would be close. When I saw the score... yeah, definitely a bit of heartbreak."
Reflecting on her strategic choices, Muir noted: "Initially I just went all out, when I could have done a more safe run and maybe had a chance at that podium, definitely not for the win, and I didn't want to play like that. It's hard to speak about it in hindsight because I could have done this, could have done that, but at the same time, the other girls could have done even more or they could have made it perfect."
Support System and Shared Experiences
Muir found solace in the shared experiences of her teammates, particularly fellow fourth-place finisher Mia Brookes, who experienced similar disappointment in the snowboard Big Air final. The pair have developed a close friendship during the Games, with Brookes teaching Muir how to play Fortnite and both enjoying Mario Kart competitions during downtime.
"I was gutted for her as well," Muir said of Brookes' performance. "I obviously knew exactly how she was feeling, but at the same time, Mia went for the 16 which I was so proud of her for. Everyone was like, what's she going to do on the third run? Will she go for the cab 14 again? And I was like, she's got to do the back 16."
Four-time Olympian Charlotte Bankes also provided valuable support, drawing from her own experience of Olympic disappointment after a quarter-final exit in Beijing. "She knows how I feel with the fourth and stuff," Muir explained, "so she was just saying that I was skiing really well and that she was proud of me, and that she knows how it feels."
Looking Ahead to Big Air Competition
Muir has successfully qualified in fourth place for the Big Air event, positioning her well for another podium challenge. She approaches this competition with renewed perspective, noting the different demands compared to slopestyle: "It's slightly different because it is just two tricks, three runs, and it's kind of nicer because you can just really focus on that trick. Slopestyle, there's a lot to think about in one run and a lot to be clean, but this one's just kind of go and put your best out there."
The athlete draws confidence from her ability to reset under pressure during the slopestyle competition: "The bigger thing for me was that I managed to reset after not landing two runs and get it down on my third run because that was quite a lot more pressure. I'm never usually that angry at myself, but I really was after the second run and I had to do a bigger reset than I usually do."
Muir remains philosophical about her Olympic journey so far: "It's always trying to accept what's happened and put it in the past and focus on the present. A couple of weeks ago at X Games I won the first competition and within three hours I had my next competition, so I was on such a high, had some media, did bits and pieces, then just had to completely forget about it and move on to the next one."
As she prepares for her Big Air redemption opportunity, Muir concludes: "I think I'm always going to have that hint of being close, but I've got to take the positives. It's been a good season and I've been feeling really good with my skiing, and I just want to carry that on and try and put down the best tricks I can in the Big Air. I'm excited for it."
