Team GB's 'Magic Monday' Hopes Fade as Snowsport Stars Miss Podium
Team GB's snowsport stars fell short of the podium on a dramatic day at Livigno Snow Park, dashing hopes for a triumphant 'Magic Monday' at the Winter Olympics. The day began with the potential for two Olympic medals in snowsports and a guaranteed spot in the mixed doubles curling final, but ended in a series of near-misses and heartbreak.
Brookes' Brave Attempt Falls Just Short
All British hopes for medal success rested on the young shoulders of snowboarder Mia Brookes as night fell in the Italian Alps. The 19-year-old Olympic debutant, already the sport's youngest world champion, aimed to become Britain's youngest Winter Olympic medallist in nearly eight decades. Kirsty Muir even returned to the Livigno Snow Park after her own disappointment to cheer on her friend and teammate.
Brookes started strongly with safe runs scoring 80.75 and 78.75 points, executing a cab 1440 stalefish and backside 1260 melon. Sitting in fourth place entering her final jump, she faced a critical decision. The Cheshire teenager waited longer than her rivals at the top of the 165ft-high ramp, heavy metal music blasting in her ears as she prepared for an unprecedented attempt.
She launched into a backside 1620 - four and a half rotations - a trick never before landed in women's Olympic competition. In a moment of extraordinary bravery, she overshot slightly, completing nearly four and three-quarter rotations before sending plumes of snow flying upon landing. The messy execution meant she couldn't improve her score, finishing an agonising fourth.
"I could have done a 14 [1440] and maybe got fourth or third, but I also could have done a 16 and land it and won," Brookes reflected afterwards. "But I'd rather be in fourth with a 16 than fourth with a 14, so I'm happy I tried it."
Muir's Narrow Miss in Freeski Slopestyle
Kirsty Muir's day began with similar challenges to Brookes' qualifying round, with both athletes falling on their first runs. The 21-year-old Scot looked excellent through the rail sections but struggled with her penultimate jump - a double cork 1080 - scoring only 37.15 points initially.
She improved significantly on her final run, posting a score of 76.05, but her face at the finish told the story. Muir finished fourth by a mere 0.41 points, an improvement on her fifth-place finish in Beijing 2022 but still a heartbreaking result.
"I'm obviously a bit sad, a bit... not angry with myself, I'm not disappointed, but it's just a tough place to be, fourth," Muir said through tears. "It was tough when [the second jump] wasn't working out for me, and I switched plans, and I'm proud that we did that, but it's hard. I just wanted this a lot."
Curling Defeat and Podium Results
The disappointment extended beyond the snowpark as mixed doubles curlers Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds were hammered 9-3 by Sweden in their semi-final. The best they can now achieve is bronze, with a tense battle for the podium scheduled for Tuesday.
In the women's snowboard Big Air final, Japan's Kokomo Murase claimed gold with a score of 179, improving on her bronze from Beijing four years ago. She remains the only woman currently competing to successfully land a 1620. New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won silver for her fourth Olympic medal, while Korean Seungeun Yu completed the podium.
The freeski slopestyle competition saw Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud become a back-to-back Olympic champion, delighting a large Swiss contingent in Livigno. China's Eileen Gu and Canada's Megan Oldham rounded out the podium.
Looking Ahead
Despite the disappointments, both British athletes remain contenders in upcoming events. Muir will compete in the Big Air competition later in the Games, while Brookes' preferred event - slopestyle - is still to come. The 1620 trick that nearly secured her a medal may get another outing, she suggested.
"If I'd have landed it I would have been the second woman to do that trick," Brookes said of her ambitious attempt. "It's really special. For women's snowboarding if I'd have landed that it would have been insane."
Volunteers escorting medals through the crowd carried them past Team GB's chef de mission, Eve Muirhead, who may well have been reliving her own crushing fourth place in Pyeongchang eight years ago. What was anticipated as 'Magic Monday' turned into a rather melancholy affair for British hopes, though not for lack of courage or effort from the athletes involved.
