Britain’s Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale captured gold in the mixed team snowboard cross at the Winter Olympics on Sunday, recovering from earlier disappointments in their individual events.
Competing under clear blue skies in Livigno, Italy, the British pair finished ahead of Italy’s Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva, who claimed silver, and France’s Lea Casta and Loan Bozzolo, who took bronze.
Bankes had finished 13th in the women’s snowboard cross final on Friday, while Nightingale placed 26th in the men’s event the day before. On Sunday, however, both athletes were jubilant, celebrating on the top of the podium and singing the national anthem. The medallists shared group hugs and posed for selfies, with Bozzolo capturing the moment on his mobile phone.
Britain were in second place after the men’s leg of the final, but Bankes overtook France’s Casta in the women’s leg to secure gold. Moioli, a home crowd favourite and part of the Italian team that won silver at the last Olympics, finished ahead of Casta to claim the runners-up position. Moioli also earned her second medal of the Games after winning bronze in the individual women’s snowboard cross final.
There was disappointment for the USA, who had won mixed team gold in 2022. Nick Baumgartner and Faye Thelen, both competing in their fifth Olympics, were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Australia’s Josie Baff, gold medallist in the women’s final, missed out on the podium after her partner, Adam Lambert, fell during the men’s leg, leaving the pair in fourth place.
The British victory marked a strong comeback for Bankes and Nightingale, highlighting their resilience and teamwork in a thrilling final.
