Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale have won gold for Great Britain in the mixed team snowboard cross event at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, as reported by BBC Sport.
This historic victory marks Team GB's first ever Winter Olympic title on snow. The British pair made amends for their individual event heartbreak with an astonishing performance.
Bankes and Nightingale's win adds Olympic gold to the World Championship title they won in 2023. According to Bankes, she was "lost for words" when asked how she was feeling after the win.
Event Details
In the event, Nightingale crossed the line in second place behind France's Loan Bozzolo, setting up Bankes perfectly. She used her remarkable speed to take the lead and pip Italy's Michela Moioli to the line by 0.43 seconds.
Bankes, a former individual world champion and two-time overall World Cup winner, was left crestfallen on Friday when she exited the women's event in the quarter-finals.
Reaction
Bankes stated, "Huw put me in an amazing position, he's been riding extremely well and rode today to his full potential." Nightingale added, "It's immense. I think we push each other well and for me, I know that Charlotte Bankes is behind me and she's such an incredible rider that it kind of loosens me up."
Bankes and Nightingale had been seeded in 13th place for this event, despite winning the only mixed team World Cup of the season before the Games. Their win marks Britain's second medal - and gold - of the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Team GB's Performance
For Bankes, competing at her fourth Winter Olympics, she finally has her hands on the medal that had evaded her for so long. Widely seen as one of the best in the business, she has 26 World Cup gold medals to her name.
Bankes and Nightingale have now won Olympic and world titles in the mixed team event. Bankes said, "For me, it's a relief, to get that medal and show our strength."
