Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale win historic snowboard gold for Britain

Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won Great Britain’s first ever Olympic gold medal on snow after roaring to victory in the mixed team snowboard cross event in Livigno.

The duo shrugged off disappointing displays in their respective individual events to muscle their way through two heats of the high-octane relay before Bankes crossed first in the final to make history.

It marked an extraordinary reversal of fortunes for Bankes, a multiple World Cup race winner who partnered Nightingale to the world title in Georgia in 2023, and also led them to a World Cup podium as recently as December.

But hopes were not high after a difficult first week for the British ski and snowboard team, with Bankes issuing a tearful apology only two days ago after a frustrating ninth-placed finish on the same course.

On Sunday, high in the Italian Alps, she proved unstoppable. Starting the final marginally behind her French rival, Lea Casta, she soared into the lead midway down the course and held off Italy’s Michaela Moioli to confirm a brilliant, redemptive gold.

“For me, it was all for gold,” said Bankes. “I ride like that anyway. I had to overtake, I can’t let those people stay in front. And I think that at last I let the instruments do the talking, and ended up in the right position each time.

“(I’m feeling) immense relief. For me, but also the team. I think that’s what is amazing. And I think that we’ve made it – we’re Olympic champs.”

Bankes was on fire from the start. In an event in which the women start the second leg at intervals determined by the result of the preceding men’s race, she made up a deficit of over a second on leaders Canada to qualify for the semi-finals in first place.

Then it was time for 24-year-old Nightingale, who has often candidly admitted his relay role is simply to leave Bankes in with a fighting chance, to dramatically transform into a world-beater.

He blazed to second place in the next heat, pipped only by Frenchman Loan Bozzolo, and gifting Bankes the chance to shrug off a pre-race issue with her binding and surge home from the front, sealing Britain’s place in the four-team final in first place.

Once again, Nightingale rose to the challenge. As Australia’s Adam Lambert crashed to all but guarantee Great Britain a medal barring disaster, he resisted the easy option to cross the line in second, marginally behind Bozzolo once again, teeing up Bankes for her historic moment.

Nightingale said he intended to make the most of his improbable status as a British sports history maker.

“Sadly I like to drink a bit too much, so there might be quite a big celebration with my family and friends tonight,” said Nightingale. “They know me and I like a good celebration. I’ll have a good debrief over the next few days.”

Bankes and Nightingale are the fourth British athletes to win Olympic medals on snow, building on the bronze medals previously won by Jenny Jones in 2014, and both Billy Morgan and Izzy Atkin in 2018.

Bankes has not had it easy since defecting from France prior to the 2022 Olympics. Going into the Games as the defending world champion, she had failed to advance to medal contention, a pressure that clearly continued to linger after she exited the quarter-finals last week.

“For me personally it’s a relief to be able to go and get that medal and show our strength,” added Bankes.

“That’s what’s been frustrating for me, not being able to show what we are capable of. We have worked very hard as a team to come out and give our best.

“We both didn’t perform perfectly in the individual – for me it was a really bad performance – and to use that and come back, it takes the weight off my shoulders. Hopefully it will also take some pressure off Team GB. It’s not gone our way, but hopefully there will be more incredible things from Team GB.”