Kirsty Muir Poised for Historic Team GB Medal After Qualifying for Ski Slopestyle Final
Scottish freestyle skier Kirsty Muir remains firmly on track to secure Great Britain's inaugural medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics following her impressive qualification performance in the women's ski slopestyle event. The 21-year-old athlete from Aberdeen secured third place in the qualifying rounds held on Saturday at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, earning her a coveted spot in Monday's highly anticipated final.
Consistent Excellence in Qualifying Runs
Muir demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout the qualification phase, placing within the top three positions in both of her runs. Her second attempt proved particularly strong, achieving a score of 64.98 points. This performance positioned her behind only Switzerland's reigning champion Mathilde Gremaud and Chinese superstar Eileen Gu in the overall standings.
"I feel like my heart was maybe racing just a little bit more than usual," Muir confessed after her qualifying success. "After I put my first run down, I felt a bit of a relief and felt like I could just be a bit smoother in myself. Just knowing I can do it when I'm feeling a little bit nervous, when I'm feeling a little bit of pressure, knowing that I can trust myself and put it down."
Olympic Experience and Recent Success
Competing in her second Olympic Games, Muir arrived in Italy with heightened expectations following her recent triumph at the prestigious X Games in Aspen. Last month, she clinched a gold medal in the same ski slopestyle discipline, establishing herself as a serious contender for Olympic glory.
The qualification process witnessed dramatic moments, particularly for Chinese athlete Eileen Gu. The defending champion, aiming to add the slopestyle title to her halfpipe and Big Air crowns from Beijing 2022, experienced a disastrous start when she fell on the opening rail during her first run, initially ranking a concerning 22nd position.
Facing potential elimination from the competition, Gu delivered a spectacular recovery on her second attempt, posting a score of 75.3 points to qualify behind Gremaud. The Swiss skier dominated the qualifying rounds with the two highest scores of 76.68 and 79.15 respectively.
Potential Double Medal Celebration for Team GB
A prospective medal for Muir could coincide with another significant achievement for British snow sports. Her teammate Mia Brookes, who also secured an X Games championship earlier this year, is expected to compete in the women's snowboard Big Air final at the same venue on Monday evening.
Considerable expectation surrounds the 19-year-old Brookes, who must first navigate her qualifying round on Sunday. Should she succeed, she aims to become only the third British athlete to win an Olympic snowboard medal, following in the footsteps of Billy Morgan and her mentor Jenny Jones.
Unorthodox Paths to Olympic Success
Jenny Jones, who made history by winning Britain's first-ever medal on snow at the 2014 Sochi Games, believes the unconventional backgrounds of both Muir and Brookes have contributed to their potential for podium success. Jones, currently serving as part of the BBC's commentary team in Italy, shared her insights with the Press Association.
"It takes a tough cookie to come from Britain and be successful in snow sports," Jones remarked. "You have to be quite steely to work your way to the top, and it is the individual ones who get there simply because they are able to dig deeper and find a real love for the sport."
Jones highlighted Brookes' early introduction to snowboarding, noting: "Mia got into snowboarding at such a young age. I didn't even try it until I was 17, by which stage she was already the world champion. She's got a real old-school mentality – she wears these bespoke baggy pants and she just wants to go out there ripping about the mountain."
Legacy of British Snow Sports Growth
The former two-time Aspen X Games champion reflected on the substantial growth of snowboard and freestyle disciplines in Britain following her historic achievement twelve years ago. "What excites me is that the dry slopes and snow domes absolutely blew up after 2014, because so many boys and girls wanted to try it," Jones explained.
"Mia started in a snow dome at such a young age, and Kirsty was skiing around Glenshee near Aberdeen. These are both young and exciting athletes, and they've got so much more of their careers to come, and people are really able to get a hold on that."
As the Olympic competition intensifies, all eyes will be on Kirsty Muir during Monday's women's ski slopestyle final, where she has positioned herself as a genuine medal contender capable of delivering Team GB's first podium finish of the 2026 Winter Games.
