Bankes and Nightingale win mixed team snowboard cross for GB’s first Olympic gold on snow
Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale took a thrilling victory in the mixed team snowboard cross
After 102 years at the Winter Olympics, Great Britain has finally won its first gold medal on snow after Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale took a thrilling victory in the mixed team snowboard cross.
Few had pinned down Bankes and Nightingale as one of the favourites after poor performances in the individual events early in the week. Afterwards they had been so disappointed they had drowned their sorrows in the pub.
But, on a glorious sunny day in Livigno, everything clicked for Team GB as Bankes overtook France’s Léa Casta on the final turn to win gold ahead of Italy, who came through to win silver, and France 2, who won bronze.
Incredibly their victory meant it was also the first time that Britain has ever won two gold medals at a Winter Olympics. After a slow start, the team is flying now.
“I’m happy with my riding all day,” said Bankes. “I found it again, which I’ve been struggling with for the last week here. At last I found some speed and made it count. I really used my carving, the drafting, made the right choices and that’s where it pays off.” Nightingale added: “It’s unbelievable. GB on a whole is doing great on the snowboard side. We can thank the National Lottery for that. We want to keep it going and inspire little kids to do it as well, and maybe one day they can get a gold medal.”
The idea of snowboard cross is simple. Four competitors, a steep mountain, ramps, and whoever gets down quickest to the bottom wins. It is one of the most chaotic sports in the Winter Games, with jeopardy lurking on every sharp turn and ice bank. But if anything the mixed event is even more devilish with the male snowboarder going first, before the women go down.
In 30-year-old Bankes, Team GB had a genuine blue-chip snowboarder: a four-time Olympian and a world champion in 2021. Meanwhile Nightingale, who was born in Bolton but has spent much of his life in Austria, where his family opened a B&B in Westendorf, is regarded more of a journeyman.
However they did have some pedigree, having won gold at the world championships in the event back in 2023 and taken a World Cup victory back in December.
But in the final, Nightingale played a blinder. It meant that the France team of Loan Bozzolo and Casta were only 0.14sec ahead, with Italy in third and Australia having crashed out.
It was then Bankes’s turn. She lurked behind Casta until near the end of the steep course before timing her overtaking move perfectly to win gold by 0.43sec from Italy.