GB's Atkin Claims Halfpipe Bronze as Gu Wins Gold
Freestyle skier Zoe Atkin secured bronze in the women's halfpipe event, earning Great Britain its fifth medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics and matching the team's record-best medal tally.
The 23-year-old had already guaranteed a podium finish before her final run. With the pressure alleviated, she improved her score to 92.50, narrowly missing silver by just half a point.
China's renowned athlete Eileen Gu captured gold with a score of 94.75, marking her first gold medal of these Games after previously earning two silvers. Her compatriot Li Fanghui took silver.
Atkin's bronze achievement mirrors that of her sister Izzy Atkin, who earned Team GB's first Olympic skiing medal with a slopestyle bronze in Pyeongchang eight years prior.
"I am so happy. I've been looking forward to this for at least the past four years and it was so overwhelming with the crowd and knowing it was the Olympics - so many emotions," Atkin told .
"I was so stressed out and I was crying and to put two runs down felt so good and the cherry on top is getting on the Olympic podium.
"It means so much to me and I've literally dreamed about this moment since watching my sister win her bronze in 2018, so to back her up eight years later feels so good and to have her supporting me here it feels full circle. I am so stoked."
With five medals—three golds, one silver, and one bronze—Team GB matched the record medal hauls achieved in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018. However, this edition is the team’s most successful Winter Olympics, a status secured when Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won the second gold in the mixed team snowboard cross exactly one week prior.
Prior to this, Great Britain had never won more than one gold medal at a single Winter Games.
Atkin entered her second Olympic Games following her recent X Games gold and as the reigning world champion, aiming to improve on her ninth-place finish from her debut in Beijing four years ago.
She qualified first for the final, which was postponed to Sunday morning due to heavy snowfall in Livigno the previous day.
In the final, Atkin led after the first run with a score of 90.50, while Gu, the defending champion, fell on her opening trick.
During the second run, Gu improved significantly with a 94.00, and Li scored 91.50, while Atkin fell during her attempt.
Gu, the most decorated female Olympic freestyle skier in history, further increased her score on the third run, leaving Atkin aware that a flawless performance would be necessary to contend for gold.
With a medal already secured, Atkin approached her final run with a smile, enjoying a pressure-free descent and gaining two additional points, though it was insufficient to elevate her position on the podium.
How Studying at Stanford Helped Atkin Win Bronze
The icy halfpipe of the Winter Olympics contrasts sharply with the warm climate of Stanford University, where Atkin studies.
Atkin, born and raised in the United States to a Malaysian mother and English father, is pursuing a degree in symbolic systems—a multidisciplinary field combining cognitive science, brain studies, and computer science.
Olympic halfpipes stand 6.7 meters high, and Atkin achieved an amplitude exceeding 5 meters during her final run. This height means athletes face a near 12-meter drop onto ice if a mid-air error occurs, a challenge Atkin has previously found difficult to manage.
"I have learned so much that has helped me so much being an athlete in an action sport. The tricks and manoeuvres that we're doing inherently have a lot of risk to them," she explained.
"I've struggled with fear a lot in the past, especially when I was younger. Learning about the mechanisms of the brain has really helped me apply those learnings and new mindsets and be able to test those theories, in practice, in my sport.
"It's in those really hard moments that you show yourself what is possible and that is when you really push your limits.
"I've been able to find my power in that."
For further information, viewers can access the full Winter Olympics schedule, including medal event timings, on the website and app. Live streams and highlights are available on BBC (UK only), with updates on BBC Radio 5 Live and live text commentary.
